Mark Richard (2) (1955–)

You can tell Richard is a fan of southern gothic and that he has some Faulkner and Flannery O’ Connor blood coursing through his veins. This is pitch-black, hillbilly noir, presented in eleven twisted stories, focusing mainly on outcasts and the downtrodden. There are some stand out tales to be found here but my favorite has to be “The Birds For Christmas”, which feature 2 young boys stuck in a hospital for the holidays, begging the nurses to let them watch Hitchcock’s The Birds, on show more Christmas Eve. Of course, these stories and Richard’s style of writing my not be for everyone, but if you don’t mind getting your hands a little dirty, give this one a shot. show less

I for one loved the second person narrative that Mark Richards has written his memoir in. It's like standing back and looking at something from a little bit farther away than you normally would, turning your head slightly and in doing so you see even more. He tells his story with humor, honesty and just a basic truthfulness that is endearing, funny and at the same time sobering. He does not gloss over the truth and tells it like it was growing up the 'special child' in the South. Due to show more deformities in his hips he is forced to go through several horrific surgeries from what he must recover from in full body casts, in the summer, in the south with NO air conditioning. Ugh. Despite severe pain through most of his life he enjoys many adventures (many of them drunken and drug infused), and comes to terms with the tough things life has thrown at him. Specifically his father. I highly recommend this book. It is a life well documented and beautifully described. It is not a pretty life but it is an honest life. show less

Mark Richard's voice in this gut-punch collection of stories recalls Breece D'J Pancake's Appalachian darkness (but not its pacing), and McCarthy's inebriated river-sloshed wordplay in Suttree. Of the 11 impressive shorts, "This is Us, Excellent" delivered the most powerful blow; a batterer compensates for his bursts of violence by taking his wife and two young boys to a pizza arcade. It is narrated from the disturbing perspective of the eldest child who, long exposed to abuse, is nearly show more entirely inured to it. This childhood indifference sheds subtle and interesting light on his long-suffering mother. show less

The first thing a reader is going to realize about this book is that is written in second person. Yes, I said it, second person. It sounds strange, even bizarre, but I found it was a wonderful way to tell the story, that it somehow had me more deeply involved in the events than I have ever felt possible in a memoir. My father often told stories of the Crippled Childrens' Hospital and I never thought anyone could put me in that place in the same way. This book did. It also took me through the show more lives of the family members who had to deal with the issues of having a "special child." Amazing how one story can tell the same thing from all perspectives at once and be so darn good at it!

I don't have a bad thing to say about this book. I loved the way it was written and completely devoured it. show less