"Annie Proulx is a genuine character--a true original. She has a shrewd understanding of people, a strong feeling for landscape...and a wry sense of humor."

--Los Angeles Times

"Proulx renews the Western tradition of the short story as the tall tale...[She] does a matchless job of summing up the human comedy of the modern West."

--Time

Annie Proulx’s new collection is peopled by characters who struggle with circumstances beyond their control. Trouble comes at them from unexpected angles, and they will themselves through it, hardheaded and resourceful.

In "What Kind of Furniture Would Jesus Pick?" rancher Gilbert Wolfscale, alienated from his sons, bewildered by his criminal ex-wife, gets the message that the old-style ranch life has gone. In "The Trickle Down Effect," Deb Sipple’s opportunism--and his smoking habit--lead to spectacular destruction. Several stories concern the eccentric denizens of Elk Tooth, a tiny ham- let where life revolves around three bars. Bound by the land and by custom, Proulx’s characters inhabit worlds that are often isolated, dangerous and stunningly vivid.

Acknowledgments

The Hellhole

The IndianWars Refought

The Trickle Down Effect

What Kind of Furniture Would Jesus Pick?

The Old Badger Game

Man Crawling Out of Trees

The Contest

The Wamsutter Wolf

Summer of the Hot Tubs

Dump Junk

Florida Rental