Synopses & Reviews
Set in the small towns of Utah and Arizona, most of these stories deal with letting loose'"or wanting to'"in all its forms. For the family hero in "Buckeye the Elder," this means reverting to a more raucous past. In the title story, under a galaxy-filled sky, there is the eerie thrill of possible revenge. Ansie, in "The Opposite of Loneliness," risks joining a distinctly eccentric family unit despite five failed marriages (her "Purple Hearts"). The young men of "Vernon," home to 800 souls, dream of leaving but settle for the macho euphoria that comes from making loud noises and destroying things. And in "Junk Court," a handyman, not so handy with love, finds himself considering some breakout decisions.
These are sad/sweet stories, moving from the familiar to surprising destinations. But even when disaster looms, Brady Udall's fine comic sense keeps bubbling up, sustaining his men and women in their sometimes extravagant efforts to connect and cope. Plunged in the moment, these stories have velocity; they spray gravel as they take off.
Review
"Exhilarating or chilling . . . Udall's stories can be as funny as they are dark." Jim Shepard
Review
"Udall's West emerges as a place of passion and despair without the mythic overtones of gunslingers and Marlboro men. It is a place filled with as much laughter as tears, and a place that I hope we hear from again quite soon." The New York Times Book Review
Review
One of the top writers of his generation. . . . Brady Udall’s stories, full of comedy and pain and trouble, carry a mighty kick. --Thom Jones, author of The Pugilist at Rest
Review
Brady Udall works with a whole lot of grace and an exquisite eye for detail. His characters find redemption in the utterly surprising places we suspected it lurked all along. --Pam Houston, author of Cowboys Are My Weakness
Review
Bittersweet....memorable....Udall breathes fresh life into tales of the modern West.Funny, unpredictable, and abounding with strange beauty.An irresistible performance. -- Judith Freeman, author of
Review
There is a wonderful innocence in Udall's narrative voice, a risk and edge to these stories that make for delightful reading. ... Letting Loose the Houndshas a great deal of meat to it, nothing sliced thin and served on a bed of watercress.... Always under the surface, there is a raised eyebrow, a bit of laughter, and the wildness of a writer who understands his backyard and plays by his own rules. -- Jeff Metcalf
Review
A gritty debut....Udall articulates the sorrow and humor of his characters' situations so well that their bellowing displays of bravado provide a catharsis.Brady Udall must have a wild and lonely heart. Nothing scares him, not emptiness or fallen hopes or silence, not the unsparing and fractured geography out there in the new American West. -- John Dufresne, author of
Review
Anybody who is very funny and writes, with love and a full heart, about goats, Whoppers, plastic deer, Mormons basketball, and nervous system disorders has got what it takes. Brady Udall has got what it takes, and thank goodness it doesn't break his heart to give it away. -- Clyde Edgerton, author of
Review
Individually, Brady Udall's stories are exciting, hilarious, gripping, and usually a bit sad. Collectively, they make a work of great power, one that illuminates the usually darkened corners of the male character. -- Pinckney Benedict, author of
Synopsis
Exploding with an unsettling exuberance, Brady Udall's stories traverse a geography of lost love, fragmented lives, and satisfying revenge. From the night a six-foot-three Apache Indian holding a goat steps into a moonlit Arizona backyard in "Midnight Raid" to the pivotal moment when a man, delirious from a dental extraction, gets rescued by a stranger in the title story, Udall injects his stories and characters with equal parts darkness and humor. These are sad and sweet stories, moving from the familiar to surprising destinations. But even when disaster looms, Udall's fine comic sense sustains his men and women in their sometimes extravagant efforts to connect and cope. Plunged in the moment, these stories have velocity; they spray gravel as they take off.
Synopsis
Shimmering with life and the irresistible pull of the heart, Brady Udall"s stories traverse a geography of lost love and fragmented lives, leaving us sated with a raw yet romantic vision of the men and women in today"s still-wild West.
Synopsis
Ten quirky, bighearted tales from the contemporary West by an inspired storyteller at the beginning of his career. Think Rick Bass. Think Pam Houston. Think Walter Kirn.
Synopsis
"Funny, unpredictable, and abounding with strange beauty . . . a fierce new voice of the American West."--
About the Author
Brady Udall is the author of Letting Loose the Hounds, The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint, and The Lonely Polygamist. His work has appeared in The Paris Review, Esquire, Playboy, and elsewhere. He lives in Boise, Idaho.