Facing the Music
Larry Brown
Algonquin Books
<p><i>Facing the Music</i>, Larry Brown's first book, was originally published in 1988 to wide critical acclaim. As the <i>St. Petersburg Times</i> review pointed out, the central theme of these ten stories "is the ageless collision of man with woman, woman with man&#8212;with the frequent introduction of that other familiar couple, drinking and violence. Most often ugly, love is nevertheless graceful, however desperate the situation."<br />There's some glare from the brutally bright light Larry Brown shines on his subjects. This is the work of a writer unafraid to gaze directly at characters challenged by crisis and pathology. But for readers who are willing to look, unblinkingly, along with the writer, there are unusual rewards.</p></br>