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Rick Hillis

Autor(a) de Limbo River

4 Works 26 Membros 3 Críticas

Obras por Rick Hillis

Limbo River (1990) 18 exemplares
The Blue Machines of Night (1988) 3 exemplares
A Place You'll Never Be (2017) 1 exemplar

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Rick Hillis passed away before this book was finished and it is sadly, glaringly obvious. The characters have no depth and the plot never goes anywhere. The man was clearly capable of turning a phrase but that's completely insufficient to save this tale. I hope nobody ever publishes any of my writing posthumously.

I recieved this book free through Goodreads from the publisher.
 
Assinalado
fionaanne | Nov 11, 2021 |
I loved these stories! The late Rick Hillis is by no means a widely known and read author, but he should be. Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Hillis taught at several US colleges and universities before his untimely death at just 58 in 2014. I was made aware of his work by reading an article written by his widow, Emily Doak, in which she described her part in the posthumous publication of Hillis's only novel, A PLACE YOU'LL NEVER BE (Coteau Books, 2017). I read and very much enjoyed that novel, and so, naturally, wanted to read his only other book, this one: LIMBO RIVER (U of Pittsburgh Press, 1990).

I've already told you I loved these stories. In them, Hillis succinctly shows the quiet desperation that Thoreau spoke of, in the workaday, hum-drum, frustrated and often unhappy lives of his characters. There is Art Sweet, a minimalist, aging, one-handed jazz guitarist, who almost finds his soulmate in Ava, only to have her stolen away by a fast-talking sales rep ("Eagle Flies on Friday; Greyhound Runs at Dawn"). Harvey McKinnon is a failed teacher, made crazy by what he has seen in the eye of a butchered pig ("The Eye"). And "Summer Tragedy Report" gives us thirteen year-old Alex, left to spend the summer with his cloddish "stubble-jumper" relatives on a remote farm, where a fifteen year-old delinquent cousin torments and abuses him mercilessly. And in the title story we meet Sean, a boy dragged from town to town by his alcoholic mother, who remembers a series of "uncles," but never knew his father. All of these stories contain both hints of tragedy and a sly, sometimes ribald sense of humor.

There are nine stores here. They are all good. But there are two linked stories that stand out - "Blue" and "Big Machine." The characters here - Ed Lubnickie, a welder on a gas pipeline company, and his teenage son, Chris. And Murdoch, a clueless "motorhead," who "wants" - fast cars, stereos, pretty girls - but mostly he wants to be like Ed. And Norma, who works with Lubnickie and Murdoch, has a useless husband, an angry daughter and a dyslexic son. There are also great secondary characters - Chris's high school coach; a first-year teacher, Guttenberg; Norma's punk daughter, Tracy and her wild waitress friend - and others. In these two stories Hillis has given us a cast of characters that are as real as you will find anywhere in literature. I wanted more, wanted to know the rest of their stories. There was a whole novel here, just waiting to be written. But, sadly, these stories will have to suffice. Hillis was a major talent, too soon snuffed out. These are simply terrific stories. My highest recommendation.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
TimBazzett | Apr 17, 2018 |
Think James Dickey's DELIVERANCE. Think Kevin Bacon and Meryl Streep in THE RIVER WILD. Throw in a dash of Hitchcock's THE BIRDS, and maybe a bit of that fifties sci-fi horror flick, THEM. Got all that? Good. Then you've got a pretty damn good idea of the kind of wild ride you'll get when you dive into A PLACE YOU'LL NEVER BE, by Rick Hillis.

The novel follows a group of five Canadian convicts on a week-long canoe journey - a pre-release pilot project - down a wild river in northern Saskatchewan, accompanied by one prison guard. At the last minute the guard adds a woman and her twelve year-old son to the party. And there is an extra element - mysterious swarms and hanging nests of locust-like flesh-eating insects that are stripping the surrounding forests of all vegetation and wildlife. Like the giant ants of THEM, these mutant creatures give off a constant unsettling sound. They hang in the trees, cover bushes, brush, and even swarm on the river's surface, an eerie overriding presence like that of Hitchcock's menacing flocks of birds. And the prisoners have a sinister plan that does not include rehabilitation or their reintegration into polite society.

All but one of them. Quinn, a trustee, due for parole, who wants desperately to do the right thing, or at least whatever it takes for his lawful release. And Hillis laces the journey with multiple flashbacks to Quinn's earlier life, how he ended up in prison and the story behind the dreadful scar he bears.

But no spoilers here. In short, get ready to suspend your disbelief, and hang on tight, because Rick Hillis has delivered a page-turner of an adventure story with a cast of characters you will not soon forget. Very highly recommended for anyone who loves a good wilderness yarn with some unusual twists.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
… (mais)
½
 
Assinalado
TimBazzett | Apr 11, 2018 |

Prémios

Estatísticas

Obras
4
Membros
26
Popularidade
#495,361
Avaliação
3.8
Críticas
3
ISBN
8