Kick in the Head

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In stories that are as diverting as they are disconcerting, Steven Rinehart plumbs the psyche of that most perplexing beast: the American male. Set against a stark Midwestern landscape dotted with trailers, guns, cars, and crashed, these are deftly crafted and oddly resonant portraits of men behaving badly and men who have it bad--usually at the same time. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;A Boy Scout struggles through a bizarre boys-to-men ritual.nbsp; A man starts a love affair...
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nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In stories that are as diverting as they are disconcerting, Steven Rinehart plumbs the psyche of that most perplexing beast: the American male. Set against a stark Midwestern landscape dotted with trailers, guns, cars, and crashed, these are deftly crafted and oddly resonant portraits of men behaving badly and men who have it bad--usually at the same time.
nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;A Boy Scout struggles through a bizarre boys-to-men ritual.nbsp; A man starts a love affair with a diabetic who prefers booze to insulin.nbsp; Another man who's finally enjoying his first sex-only relationship destroys it by clinging to a white lie. From the high school teacher battling his attraction to a troubled student to the patron who becomes a conspirator in a violent outburst in a bar, these are guys who have a lot to learn and seem to insist on doing so the hard way.nbsp; Linked throughout the collection in surprising ways, Rinehart's stories ultimately form a cohesive work that introduces his as a writer of striking vision and offers a sharp-focus snapshot of men who need a kick in the head--and get it when they least expect it.nbsp;nbsp;