A comic book in words, episodic and eerie, The Haunted Hillbilly is a carnivalesque thrill-ride that reads both like a vintage 1950s issue of Tales from the Crypt and a 21st century re-imagining of Michael Ondaatje’s The Collected Works of Billy the Kid. The Haunted Hillbilly is an historical first-person narrative, told by Nudie “The Carnival Couturier” (the name’s a twist on “Nudie, the Rodeo Tailor”, a real-life figure perhaps best known for dressing Elvis Presley), a gay couturier who, in Derek McCormack’s spellbinding world, also happens to be a vampire. As the story evolves, with its magical poetic cadence, Nudie makes, then breaks, the career of country-and-western legend Hank Williams.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Derek McCormack is the author of two short story collections set in his hometown of Peterborough, Ontario: Dark Rides and Wish Book: A Catalogue of Stories. He is co-author of Wild Mouse, which was nominated for the 1999 Toronto Book Award. His short stories have appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, and anthologies in Canada and the U.S.A. His non-fiction has appeared in the National Post, Saturday Night, Elm Street, and Blood & Aphorisms. In 2001, he received an Honorable Mention at the National Magazine Awards for "Boo! A Halloween ABC," which appeared in Saturday Night. Stargaze, a short movie based on his story of the same name, has appeared at numerous Canadian and international film festivals. Derek McCormack lives in Toronto.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Strong Alcohol,
By David M. Milne (Calgary, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Haunted Hillbilly (Paperback)
An interesting little story about vampires that is remarkable for its style. Something in how McCormack writes creates an overwhelming sense of being on a bad bender - one where you know things are out of control and going wrong, but in which you don't have your wits about you enough to do anything about it. You have no choice but to lurch along for the ride, not seeing enough to completely understand what's happening to you, but knowing that whatever it is, it's bad.One of the best things I've read in years.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lean, Mean & Outrageously Campy,
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This review is from: The Haunted Hillbilly: A Novel (Soft Skull ShortLit) (Paperback)
Derek McCormack's prose is honed to a razor sharp point. It's so precise, the words are so well-chosen, that you scarcely notice how few of them there actually are. This is a lean, mean little novel that packs a thrilling punch. There is not one extraneous word. I am in awe.And while it's tempting to focus on the technical wizardry alone, which is considerable, truth is, this is no case of style over substance. The story McCormack has concocted is weird, creepy, crude and very funny. The Haunted Hillbilly is an alternative history of the rise [and premature demise] of country crooner Hank Williams. In McCormack's hands, he is a slightly dimwitted pawn who is taken under the wing of Nudie, a manipulative couturier, who also happens to be a gay vampire. Dressed in Nudie's gaudy, bespangled creations, Hank wins over the crowd at the Grand Ole Opry before the Svengali-like vampire subjects him, and the women who love him, to one Grand Guignol torment after another. It might get downright disturbing if it all wasn't so outrageously camp. I loved it. McCormack is a real find. I can't wait to sink my teeth into the rest of his work.
5.0 out of 5 stars
every sentence is perfect.,
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This review is from: The Haunted Hillbilly: A Novel (Soft Skull ShortLit) (Paperback)
Derek McCormack's writing fills me with a joy that is usually only triggered by sex, sweeping landscapes, Caravaggio, really good coffee.His style is so terse and tight it takes some getting used to - we don't expect writers to be so economical with their words. this book made me wish it was ten times longer.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Hank tears off his blindfold. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff, Hillbilly Fan, Thank God, Tulane Hotel, Wax Hank New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Hank tears off his blindfold. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff, Hillbilly Fan, Thank God, Tulane Hotel, Wax Hank New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 2
books:
1
book
cites this book:
- How Many (Pull 'N Push) by Alan Snow on page 36
- Grab Bag (Little House on the Bowery) by Derek McCormack in Back Matter
- Grab Bag (Little House on the Bowery) by Derek McCormack in Back Matter
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