cover image Calves in the Mud Room

Calves in the Mud Room

Jerome O. Brown. Tetonwolf, $6.49 paper (96p) ISBN 978-0-615-96750-9

Brown presents an intimate portrait of the modern-day rural life of teenagers that deftly combines text-messaging jargon and the complexities of cattle farming. Brown's protagonist is Wade Summers, who longs to escape his smalltown life of pickup trucks and cows and is%E2%80%94to his surprise%E2%80%94asked to the school dance by the beautiful and rich Glory Schoonover. Of course, nothing goes according to plan: Wade is forced to deliver a calf on his way to the dance and has a disastrous evening with Glory. With this novella, Brown offers an engaging exploration of a young person's search for his sense of self in a seemingly (but not altogether) bleak landscape.