He's nameless, faceless, and has nothing left to lose - and now he has a gun! Alone except for his beloved bulldog, Churchill, a man who's failed at his career, his marriage, and his own simple hopes makes his way across the American landscape and the spectacle of his own bitter past, heading home to his brother when he knows there's no home left for him. Tom Piccirilli brings us a story for our current struggling times, taken directly from a broken heart. It is full of realism, grit, and a depth that gives voice to the fears most of us can barely imagine. The terror of loss, the overwhelming dread of failure, the horror of missed-out, mediocre dreams. And the all-too average explosive rage.
Every Shallow Cut
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
By Rob Kitchin
Format:Paperback
Every Shallow Cut is a short book, even by novella standards. It runs to 162 pages, but it is a pocket sized format with generous margins and c. 150 words each page and a fair few blank pages. It took about 90 minutes to read. It cost the same as an ordinary novel that is usually about four times longer. Beyond cost to product ratio, I have nothing against short books, such as Carlo Lucarelli's De Luca series. The condensed form can lead to a more powerful punch. In the case of Every Shallow Cut, the punch was powerful, but it seemed a little pulled. I really took to Piccirilli's writing, which rattles along full of colorful images and nice observations. He really captures the downward spiral of a man in the process of losing everything. That said, the ending seemed to come a little too quick. I wasn't convinced that he was yet at rock bottom, the point of no return. And I was surprised when I turned the last page (to find the ones following it were adverts; I felt it needed another twenty to thirty pages to fully wind out). Dave Zeltserman's Small Crimes is a good example of a man's descent into hell fully realized. Overall, Piccirilli is clearly a good storyteller and writes with engaging prose and I'm going to give one of his full novels a go, but this needed a bit more rounding out for my tastes.
By Wag The Fox
Format:Paperback
One good way to enticing me to read your book is to put a dog in it. One good way to repel me is to put a cat in it. Tom Piccirilli opted for dog. My kind of author.
This isn't a story about a dog though, even if it is an adorable old bulldog named Churchill. It's about an author at the end of his rope. He's lost his house, his wife, his career, and the story starts off with him being beaten and robbed of his few remaining possessions in front of a pawn shop. All he has left is his car and his dog. Throw in a steel guitar and you've got yourself a country song. After he's patched up, he pawns off what he can and buys something he believes he'll need: a gun.
Have you ever had an disquieting feeling go through you, one that feels like when you're in a sawmill? That's kind of how this book makes you feel as you read it. There's a menacing shadow over this guy as he makes his cross-country journey to see his estranged big brother. He's not going on a killing spree or anything as explosive as that, but he's a lit fuse. He drives from Colorado to New York to reunite with his estranged brother, as well as his literary agent. Every relationship he has is strained, if not ruined by how his life has been led. The guy, who is never named, is sympathetic on one level for the hardships he faces, but he's not a very likable guy.
The narration is a combination of frenetic ramblings and brooding contemplation. Piccirilli gives you the idea of what's going through the guy's head as it's happening, not much of it pretty. A feel good story it is not, but it wound up being a story that resonated--like that hum I mentioned--and is rightfully earning praise from just about everyone who reads it. It's a novella length work, which is a perfect fit for a story like this, as it lasts just long enough for the story that needs to be told to have its turn in the spotlight. The ending may not be what you expect, but it's about as close to a perfect ending that you could ask for.
If you have any appreciation for dark fiction, then you should most definitely read this book.
This isn't a story about a dog though, even if it is an adorable old bulldog named Churchill. It's about an author at the end of his rope. He's lost his house, his wife, his career, and the story starts off with him being beaten and robbed of his few remaining possessions in front of a pawn shop. All he has left is his car and his dog. Throw in a steel guitar and you've got yourself a country song. After he's patched up, he pawns off what he can and buys something he believes he'll need: a gun.
Have you ever had an disquieting feeling go through you, one that feels like when you're in a sawmill? That's kind of how this book makes you feel as you read it. There's a menacing shadow over this guy as he makes his cross-country journey to see his estranged big brother. He's not going on a killing spree or anything as explosive as that, but he's a lit fuse. He drives from Colorado to New York to reunite with his estranged brother, as well as his literary agent. Every relationship he has is strained, if not ruined by how his life has been led. The guy, who is never named, is sympathetic on one level for the hardships he faces, but he's not a very likable guy.
The narration is a combination of frenetic ramblings and brooding contemplation. Piccirilli gives you the idea of what's going through the guy's head as it's happening, not much of it pretty. A feel good story it is not, but it wound up being a story that resonated--like that hum I mentioned--and is rightfully earning praise from just about everyone who reads it. It's a novella length work, which is a perfect fit for a story like this, as it lasts just long enough for the story that needs to be told to have its turn in the spotlight. The ending may not be what you expect, but it's about as close to a perfect ending that you could ask for.
If you have any appreciation for dark fiction, then you should most definitely read this book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars
25 reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
17 Mar 2011
By Dave Zeltserman
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition
Tom Piccirilli is known for writing horror and crime novels, but Every Shallow Cut isn't either of those. I guess you could call it a psychological suspense novel--it's certainly riveting and keeps you turning the pages until you're done, but it's far more than that. You could call it every writer's worst nightmare, but it's far more than that. It's about the American way of life slipping away from people as they become disposable by a society that just doesn't care, about dashed dreams and broken promises and ruined lives, but none of that quite covers it either. Let's just call it a great book that has more truth and honesty in it's slender 163 pages than any 10 thick commercial bestsellers
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Down and Dirty
18 Feb 2012
By TedTheewen
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm a fan of this writer and I will be for a long time. Ever since reading A Choir of Ill Children, I knew this writer had the wordsmith chops to pull me in.
This was the first thing I downloaded with my new Kindle and it was well worth it.
Every Shallow Cut is the study of a man unraveling and desperately trying to keep it together despite all that has gone wrong in his life. We see him in what might be his final days struggling to make sense of the past while trying to exist in the present--rejecting any kind a future in the process.
This is gut-level honesty in a character we don't have to love, but take pity on, as he is shown unflinchingly complete and naked.
Well worth the read. If you do pick this up, give yourself 90 minutes to sit down and read it all at once.
This was the first thing I downloaded with my new Kindle and it was well worth it.
Every Shallow Cut is the study of a man unraveling and desperately trying to keep it together despite all that has gone wrong in his life. We see him in what might be his final days struggling to make sense of the past while trying to exist in the present--rejecting any kind a future in the process.
This is gut-level honesty in a character we don't have to love, but take pity on, as he is shown unflinchingly complete and naked.
Well worth the read. If you do pick this up, give yourself 90 minutes to sit down and read it all at once.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Epochal
1 Feb 2012
By Jean-Benoit Lelievre
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
The bare bones of noir. There's no shady gangster, no hitman, nothing. Just a man, who's very afraid and confused. Only a master could have pulled off a novella so mean, so minimalistic and make it work beautifully. Not a word is wasted. No fear is spared. EVERY SHALLOW CUT charges you like a train coming at the horizon...and yeah, you are tied to the track. Darker than noir, sad and even touching. The writers who call themselves noirists have to define their work in relation to Piccirilli's masterpiece. I don't use this word often, but I don't shy away from it. EVERY SHALLOW CUT isn't exactly a sprawling epic, but it's perfect for what it is and it has its place in history. I will lend this to friends who wonder what noir is.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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