The first collection of stories by Doug Frelke connects human desire with human frailty. Frelke's characters range from a 15 year-old punk rocker to a love-obsessed "ugly little dwarf," but they all have one thing in common. Each of these characters are consumed by a desperate longing. The reader is pulled along through each of these compelling stories. A must read.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Frelke's characters, like his stories, are skillfully crafted and unforgettable. His voice as storyteller alternately stuns, sooths and shocks. -- Midwest Book Review, December 2005
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
From the Publisher
Includes Pushcart Prize nominated story "White Dog."
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Whiskey Nipple,
By A Customer
This review is from: Whiskey Nipple (Paperback)
Although the book is slight--a mere 94 pages--its reach is huge, its seven stories spanning a geographical and emotional depth rarely seen in short fiction today. Half the stories center around Navy life, and we are taken to places that recall an earlier time in American fiction, landscapes as rich and evocative as those of Melville. The comparison doesn't end there. Just as Ahab was haunted by his uncaught wale, Frelke's characters are haunted by the unfinished business of their lives: the used car salesman contemplating a life unlived, the young Naval officer coming to terms with the death of a father he never really knew, the Philipino engineman, willing to bleed freely for a tattoo that will "say it all," the "Navy Legacy" turned tattooist who beat his bunkmate to death for the last life preserver. Frelke, like his ancient tattoo artist, is a "skillful renderer," creating characters that are at once unique--almost fantastic--and struggle with real dilemmas. They elicit our empathy as well as our fascination.Frelke is also a master at creating setting. From the swampy, unmarked gravel roads of "Blackbeard's Country" to the seedy Australian port of bars and whorehouses to a makeshift medical clinic in a run-down VA hospital, Frelke shows the ability to transport the reader. The sparseness of the prose provides a stark background for the luminous symbols and characters that seem to emerge from the page and straight into our consciousness. I enjoyed this collection immensely.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Searching,
By Kathleen Annore (Greenville, North Carolina) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Whiskey Nipple (Paperback)
In Whiskey Nipple, Doug Frelke's first collection of short stories, he has given voice to the unheard. These are stories about everyman. The person who is trying so hard to get it right but never does. He is reaching for the gold ring on the merry-go-round of life, but it is always just out of reach. You will feel his pain, frustration, desperation and lonliness. Although the collection of stories is short, Whiskey Nipple's characters will haunt you long after you have finished reading.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Whiskey Nipple:a different glance into American culture,
By Clifford Francis (Chapel Hill, NC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Whiskey Nipple (Paperback)
Through the collection of these stories the reader is able to encounter a diverse look at the darker side of human existence in our modern American culture. This culture is one that many of us want to ignore, or find it as a form of amusement on such shows like Jerry Springer and Ricki Lake. The fact is that this dimension of our society exists and the author respectfully details the plights of these individuals through his vivid portrayal of their experiences. These stories offer an insight into our society that we all must be aware of in order gain the full picture of our American culture
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