Drowning in Gruel [Paperback]

George Singleton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 5, 2006

Acclaimed short-story master George Singleton follows the lives and schemes of the citizens of fictitious Gruel, South Carolina, in search of glory, seclusion, money, revenge, and a meaningful existence. In these nineteen tales, young Gruelites learn lessons when confronted with neighbors who might not be as blind as they appear, dermatologists intent on eradicating birthmarks, and fathers prone to driving on half-inflated tires in order to flirt with cashiers. Meanwhile, the town's older citizens try to make sense out of dogs that heal wounds, lawn-mowing dead men, wives who don't appreciate gas masks for Valentine's Day, and children who mix their mother's ashes with housepaint. Hilarious and tragic, George Singleton's unforgettable characters try to overcome their limitations as best they can.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Singleton returns to the small South Carolina town where he set his acclaimed first novel, Novel, for this delightfully obsessive collection of stories, which reads like a group celebration of the excess and eccentricities found in the tiny Southern hamlet of Gruel. The only common element: a shared preoccupation with staying put in, getting out of, coming home to and passing through Gruel. From the owner of Roughhouse Billiards, who sells hot dogs, to the proprietor of the army-navy surplus store, who hawks gas masks as Valentine's Day gifts, the citizens of Gruel form a backdrop against which the more transient characters—the women's studies major who visits to compete in the town's car decorating contest; the freelance indexer fired for listing Republicans under "Idiotic behavior"—stand out in sharper relief for their quirky loneliness and creative longings. Singleton is so careful to include references to Southern literary life and the short story form that some exchanges feel rigged, but in the book's quiet moments, his people hit a tragicomic zenith. (June)
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From Booklist

Usually stories about small, quirky, southern towns are full of adorable, quirky characters that share their unusual philosophies with us and teach us how to enjoy life (think Forrest Gump or even Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil). Gruel may be small, southern, and quirky, but it is also as miserable as its name sounds. The inhabitants are miserable. Even people from as far away as New York who happen to stop by Gruel are miserable. There are miraculous dogs, which die. Fun-sounding car-art shows during which people are maimed, and many more normal kinds of misery. The misery that pervades almost every story in this collection and Singleton's unique style act as a literary train wreck; you may want to stop reading, but you are compelled not to. Fortunately, the writing is good enough that the misery becomes somehow enjoyable. Marta Segal
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; 1 edition (June 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156030616
• ISBN-13: 978-0156030618
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,800,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a star with flaws, July 8, 2006

By 

Sean Nolan "I love a good story" (Greenville, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drowning in Gruel (Paperback)

If that ain't a description of all of the people "Drowning in Gruel," then I don't know what is... After his foray into the Novel, George has returned to his roots...

If you're a fan, you will recognize a lot of the characters in this collection, and if you're just starting with George, this'll be a great beginning... I know I've said that every previous book has been the best so far, and I meant it!

George Singleton just keeps getting better, and proving his mastery of the short story, and the novel, with every new book!

George, we're still waiting for the book of prose...

Sean

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gruel Also Rises, August 17, 2006

By 

Andrew J. Tumey (Thousand Oaks, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drowning in Gruel (Paperback)

This book is full of whacky, funny short stories that gently poke fun at the sleepy, small, southern, ficticious town of Gruel, South Carolina.

I enjoyed this collection because, having spent most of my life living in the deep south, I have an appreciation of the absurd and this book serves up heaping helpings of it.

Singleton's ability to create rediculous situations with a deadpan delivery makes the read quite fun.

Also the stories are rich with authentic details that ring true of the southern personality.

So put a flamingo in your front yard and read Drowning in Gruel!

5.0 out of 5 stars short stories, March 15, 2011

By 

mirth - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Drowning in Gruel (Paperback)

This collection of 19 short stories is a fast and fun read. Singleton's characters have a Brautigan-like wackiness that I find very entertaining. My favorite story was "The Opposite of Zero". Curious? Read it. You'll like it.