Empty Mile
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When Johnny comes home to the town of Oakridge, he has one thing on his mind: putting right a terrible mistake he made eight years ago. Revisiting the past, though, is a dark and dangerous game in small town America. When a careless sexual episode leads to the suicide of the town's first lady, Johnny finds himself the target of a revenge campaign that threatens to tear apart the fragile world he's built with his brain-damaged brother and his depressive girlfriend. Matthew Stokoe is the groundbreaking author of Cows and High Life.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It's taken several years for Matthew Stokoe's 3rd novel to appear but it's been worth the wait.
The gratuitous nature of his previous 2 books (the horrific 'Cows' and deeply worrying 'High Life') is largely lacking and instead has been replaced with a bleakness I have rarely encountered in any book. The story centres on Johnny, ex-resident of a small town in America, who returns to the house where his father and younger brother Stan still live after 8 years away. Stan is brain damaged - many years ago Johnny had a moment of weakness with his girlfriend and left Stan unattended near a lake and he went swimming and almost drowned. The sense of guilt that is conveyed is the key to this book as Johnny strives to make things right in order to escape his deep-seated feelings of remorse over what happened.
Instead of fixing things Johnny's actions begin a sequence of terrible events involving his father, his brother, an old friend Gareth, his mixed-up girlfriend Marla and seemingly everyone around him. The suicide of a senior town resident is the catalyst to a revenge campaign against him and those close to him and the more Johnny does to escape this and help his brother the worse the situation becomes. The lives of those close to him are steadily ripped to pieces as the plot unfolds and Johnny's world closes in in alarming fashion.
The characters are superbly portrayed. Marla is a bag of nerves who seems to attract disaster with every move. Johnny's old friend Gareth is a demented psychopath who he tries but fails to avoid in the events that unfold, and is a thoroughly sinister figure in the story. The awkward relationship between Johnny and his father is beautifully described and some of the descriptive passages are, by some distance, the best writing Matthew Stokoe has ever produced. This is a classic example of a writer maturing - his earlier books were outstanding but here we have a more sensitive and carefully thought out book which has a slow burning element of tragedy and despair running all the way through it. You just know things aren't going to get better and as every spark of optimism is extinguished Johnny is forced into increasingly desperate and frightening actions to get things to move in his direction.
I found my whole mood was altered for the duration of my reading Empty Mile. The overwhelming feeling of bleakness was extraordinary and I challenge anyone to not be moved by the story. Is this Matthew Stokoe's best book? Possibly not (I reserve that accolade for 'High Life'). That said there is no question that this is an absolute triumph, and a very moving one. Roll on number 4... I hope it's less than 8 years this time (which is the gap between 'High Life' and 'Empty Mile').
The gratuitous nature of his previous 2 books (the horrific 'Cows' and deeply worrying 'High Life') is largely lacking and instead has been replaced with a bleakness I have rarely encountered in any book. The story centres on Johnny, ex-resident of a small town in America, who returns to the house where his father and younger brother Stan still live after 8 years away. Stan is brain damaged - many years ago Johnny had a moment of weakness with his girlfriend and left Stan unattended near a lake and he went swimming and almost drowned. The sense of guilt that is conveyed is the key to this book as Johnny strives to make things right in order to escape his deep-seated feelings of remorse over what happened.
Instead of fixing things Johnny's actions begin a sequence of terrible events involving his father, his brother, an old friend Gareth, his mixed-up girlfriend Marla and seemingly everyone around him. The suicide of a senior town resident is the catalyst to a revenge campaign against him and those close to him and the more Johnny does to escape this and help his brother the worse the situation becomes. The lives of those close to him are steadily ripped to pieces as the plot unfolds and Johnny's world closes in in alarming fashion.
The characters are superbly portrayed. Marla is a bag of nerves who seems to attract disaster with every move. Johnny's old friend Gareth is a demented psychopath who he tries but fails to avoid in the events that unfold, and is a thoroughly sinister figure in the story. The awkward relationship between Johnny and his father is beautifully described and some of the descriptive passages are, by some distance, the best writing Matthew Stokoe has ever produced. This is a classic example of a writer maturing - his earlier books were outstanding but here we have a more sensitive and carefully thought out book which has a slow burning element of tragedy and despair running all the way through it. You just know things aren't going to get better and as every spark of optimism is extinguished Johnny is forced into increasingly desperate and frightening actions to get things to move in his direction.
I found my whole mood was altered for the duration of my reading Empty Mile. The overwhelming feeling of bleakness was extraordinary and I challenge anyone to not be moved by the story. Is this Matthew Stokoe's best book? Possibly not (I reserve that accolade for 'High Life'). That said there is no question that this is an absolute triumph, and a very moving one. Roll on number 4... I hope it's less than 8 years this time (which is the gap between 'High Life' and 'Empty Mile').
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
When I heard a new Mathew Stokoe book was out I was very excited and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. It has a similarly melancholic air to it as Cows, but nowhere near as depraved as High Life. It felt a bit like a Ken Loach film, you know things are not going to turn out ok, but are compelled to keep reading anyway. I think the tempo might have changed but the writing is still dark, complex and thought provoking. He is up there with my favourite writers I just wish he would write more.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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4 reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Stokoe Succeeds in a Stunning New Direction
8 July 2010
Format:Paperback
Matthew Stokoe's new book Empty Mile is, in a word, breathtaking. It's true that fans of Cows and High Life may be disappointed at the relative lack of explicit violence (if you thought that's what those books were really about you've missed the point) but the new novel's rich psychological landscape makes it a far more mature and complex book than either of the other two. Empty Mile is a meditation on guilt, on the desire we all have to change the past, on all the wrongs we'd like to put right. As such it strikes a chord with anyone who has lived any sort of a life. The writing itself is beautifully put together. This is no surprise to anyone who's read High Life, what is surprising, though, is the depth of feeling Stokoe shows for his characters. They are all real people, all with real flaws - from the brain-damaged brother to the beaten-down girl friend we recognize these people - we've seen them on street corners, in bars, at the desk next to us at work - they are people people who have suffered and who've cracked under that suffering. The book's plot is intricate and nicely noir-ish and alone would made an excellent read, but the emotional interplay between the characters is what really gives this novel its strength - I read the book in three sittings and by the end of the virtuoso finale I was in tears - literally. If you want brainless sex and violence avoid this book. If you want to read something that will stay with you long after you turn the last page, something that that will reach deep inside you and address one of the most human of themes get a copy while there are still some left.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Not your typical Stokoe
1 July 2010
Format:Paperback
Matthew Stokoe's new novel is quite a departure from his previous work, High Life. Much more subdued and not nearly as shocking, Empty Mile tells the tale of Johnny Richardson, a man seeking reconciliation from his past transgressions. Upon his return home, Johnny finds out that making up for past sins is an exercise in futility. His life, and the lives of those he has affected, have changed too much in his 8 year departure for there to be a clean break with the past.
What's striking is the normative setting of this book: small town America, dad and his two sons, embittered friend whom Johnny betrays, and finally, the fine young lass that was left behind during the 8 year departure. What Johnny comes to realize is that much has happened during that time. Life has a way of delivering tragedy and despair to those who are already weak and broken. A pitfall of constant struggle pervades some characters in this book, almost to the tune of a lockstep measure.
What's troubling is that some characters are so clearly defined. The mentally challenged brother is painted in ways that seem true to form, given the nature of a childhood accident. At the same time though Stokoe borders on stereotypes of mentally handicapped folks, that Stan (Johnny's brother), almost comes off as comical when he's clearly not meant to be. Marla, the aforementioned lass, is so incredibly weak as a person, any slight push can get her to do the most unmentionable acts...to the point of total disbelief. This brings us to Johnny himself. Hands down the most unredeemable, emotionally, physically and mentally vapid character in the book, our narrator, is a door mat. The tone is set quickly that he acts completely out of a sense of self...and the repercussions of this particular act have lifetime reverberations. But this is clearly not just a metaphor for how his life will unfold. Stokoe paints a picture of man totally devoid of loyalty, who is completely incapable of standing up to any sort of transgression (or person) in his life, and as a result, he watches as his world crumbles around him and allows decisions to be made that have horrific consequences for those he attempts to love.
The main narrative is set against the back drop of Empty Mile, a piece of land purchased by Johnny and Stan's father. The more interesting part of the book is the aspect of prospecting for gold that is introduced through this land and how it ties back to Gareth (Johnny's ex-pal), the local community writ large and the long term hope that Empty Mile represents for most everyone in the book. While this piece is fine, and most stories need some sort of salvific measure for us to work toward, Empty Mile (the land) is overshadowed by such wholly unbelievable situations that it simply cannot, and does not, tie the book together.
Clearly frustrating and at once a long-feeling read, Empty Mile did arouse such physical responses in me to certain situations in the book, I got the feeling that Stokoe is a master of showing how ordinary people are completely capable of some really horrendous stuff (see his previous work). While there is plenty of that going on in Empty Mile, Stokoe's other work shows how shocking can be done without doing it for the sake of shock value. Unfortunately, in Empty Mile, most of what is shocking just wreaks of being unbelievable. I had incredibly high hopes for this book and teeter on liking certain portions, but ultimately found this to be an unrewarding read.
What's striking is the normative setting of this book: small town America, dad and his two sons, embittered friend whom Johnny betrays, and finally, the fine young lass that was left behind during the 8 year departure. What Johnny comes to realize is that much has happened during that time. Life has a way of delivering tragedy and despair to those who are already weak and broken. A pitfall of constant struggle pervades some characters in this book, almost to the tune of a lockstep measure.
What's troubling is that some characters are so clearly defined. The mentally challenged brother is painted in ways that seem true to form, given the nature of a childhood accident. At the same time though Stokoe borders on stereotypes of mentally handicapped folks, that Stan (Johnny's brother), almost comes off as comical when he's clearly not meant to be. Marla, the aforementioned lass, is so incredibly weak as a person, any slight push can get her to do the most unmentionable acts...to the point of total disbelief. This brings us to Johnny himself. Hands down the most unredeemable, emotionally, physically and mentally vapid character in the book, our narrator, is a door mat. The tone is set quickly that he acts completely out of a sense of self...and the repercussions of this particular act have lifetime reverberations. But this is clearly not just a metaphor for how his life will unfold. Stokoe paints a picture of man totally devoid of loyalty, who is completely incapable of standing up to any sort of transgression (or person) in his life, and as a result, he watches as his world crumbles around him and allows decisions to be made that have horrific consequences for those he attempts to love.
The main narrative is set against the back drop of Empty Mile, a piece of land purchased by Johnny and Stan's father. The more interesting part of the book is the aspect of prospecting for gold that is introduced through this land and how it ties back to Gareth (Johnny's ex-pal), the local community writ large and the long term hope that Empty Mile represents for most everyone in the book. While this piece is fine, and most stories need some sort of salvific measure for us to work toward, Empty Mile (the land) is overshadowed by such wholly unbelievable situations that it simply cannot, and does not, tie the book together.
Clearly frustrating and at once a long-feeling read, Empty Mile did arouse such physical responses in me to certain situations in the book, I got the feeling that Stokoe is a master of showing how ordinary people are completely capable of some really horrendous stuff (see his previous work). While there is plenty of that going on in Empty Mile, Stokoe's other work shows how shocking can be done without doing it for the sake of shock value. Unfortunately, in Empty Mile, most of what is shocking just wreaks of being unbelievable. I had incredibly high hopes for this book and teeter on liking certain portions, but ultimately found this to be an unrewarding read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Far from empty
23 Oct 2010
Format:Paperback
The strength of this book is in that it is not continually shocking. Readers are not inured to the next graphic excerpt of anything and everything that comes along. This works because when it hits, it's a surprise because it's the worst thing that could happen and you are not expecting that (or at least hoping for better for the characters).
Forget about everything else including your own desires and just read the book.
Which is really how every book should be read, every movie should be seen and all art should be consumed.
Forget about everything else including your own desires and just read the book.
Which is really how every book should be read, every movie should be seen and all art should be consumed.
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