Bear County, Michigan: Stories

Description:

This debut story collection from Michigan author and journalist John Counts portrays desperate characters in desperate circumstances unique to the rural Midwest.

Review Quotes:

Finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection - Named a 2026 Michigan Notable Book - Chicago Review of Books best short story colletion of 2025

"John Counts understands rural Michiganians . . . [this] page-turner gives glimpses into the lives of his Michigan-based characters: the brave, the misunderstood and the criminal." --Detroit News

"Bear County, Michigan is simultaneously familiar and utterly new in its sharp execution . . . Counts is a prime example of Michigan's modern literary renaissance." --Chicago Review of Books

"Bear County, Michigan: Stories, grabs you by the throat and shakes you" --Lansing City Pulse

"Vivid narratives. . . capturing the rich complexities of small-town life in northern Michigan." --Manistee News Advocate

"John Counts knows Michigan's small towns--he's lived in them, visited for outdoor activities, and reported on the people and events of those small towns so often that they have become part of him. That investigative experience allows Counts to dig deep into the characters that populate his stories, often folks who experience the messy side of life." --Grand Rapids Magazine

"Set in a fictional, rugged county where logging once boomed and small towns cling to faded memories, Bear County, Michigan weaves together characters on the margins of society . . . [an] empathetic portrayal of people on the edge." --Current Magazine

"With a sharp eye for telling detail, John Counts takes a hard look at hard lives. Prepare to be intrigued and troubled."--Ellen Airgood, author of Tin Camp Road