home > Culture
An Ill-Fitting Life
Courtesy Aqueous Books
by Ronni Mott
February 1, 2012
Jackson native Barrett Hathcock has given readers a small gem with his short-story collection, "The Portable Son" (Aqueous Books, 2011, $14). The stories read like a novel. Instead of unrelated snippets, protagonist Peter Gallatin's struggle toward adulthood links the tales together.
But this is not a Disney-esque coming-of-age yarn. The stories follow Peter—just another Jackson kid—for about 10 years, starting at age 16 "cotton diving" with his buddy. The author deftly weaves through time as Peter slogs through his ill-fitting life. He's not what everyone expects, but then, others don't quite measure up to Peter's expectations, either. Life hits Peter hard—in the gut and in the soul.
Hathcock crafts Peter's beautifully imagined world with grace and style, rocking gently from sweet compassion to brutal, and often humorous, truth. He's one to watch.
Barrett Hathcock will be at Lemuria Books (4465 Interstate 55 N., 601-366-7619) to sign copies of "The Portable Son" Feb. 4 at 1 p.m.
posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/01/12 at 02:26 PM. [printer version] Share |
COMMENTS
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May 23, 2012 | 01:37 PMBryant Signs Voter ID Bill
golden eagle: Wow, my English was bad on the previous post. You know how it is on these iPhones.
May 23, 2012 | 12:30 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
golden eagle: @Jess, I think the word you're looking for is "assassination". @Darryl, do we really know that the majority of MS'ians wanted this, when you consider that this was a ...
May 23, 2012 | 12:18 PM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
DonnaLadd: I can only hope that the reason that this bill passed is that, for once, our lawmakers listened to the majority of Mississippians and crafted this bill. Considering that the ...
May 23, 2012 | 11:57 AM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
justjess: @Darryl 5/23 "....for once, our lawmakers listened to the majority of Mississippians and crafted this bill." My question is still on the table: What were you "majority ...
May 23, 2012 | 05:26 AM
Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill
Darryl: justjess, I can only hope that the reason that this bill passed is that, for once, our lawmakers listened to the majority of Mississippians and crafted this bill. But, recall, that ...
May 22, 2012 | 04:26 PM
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DonnaLadd: ... because if there is anything The Clarion-Ledger can muster the resources to do, it's show up any night of the week and take drunk pictures. Meantime, they crib our sports stories. ...
May 22, 2012 | 03:53 PM
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Rico: Next time just call Metro Mix at the C-L and have them come and take some pretty pictures for the newspaper. Hell, the got some on karaoke night Monday.
May 22, 2012 | 02:07 PM
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May 22, 2012 | 11:25 AM
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Duan C.: I am in agreement with Golden Eagle - requiring I.D. ties a fee into voting, the only reason why its considered "discriminatory" towards black, is because it places back into an era ...
May 22, 2012 | 10:22 AM
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justjess: Darryl, out of my "simple ignorance" I ask you this "little question:" Why are registered voters here in the State of Mississippi being asked to produce a picture ID? When the State ...
May 22, 2012 | 08:49 AM
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Duan C.: @ Robbie R - you lost me on that one? They have him listed in the 77th District - covering Rankin, Simpson, and Smith counties?
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