Description:
Miriam Toews meets the Cohen Brothers in this raucous "Mennonoir", a spontaneous outburst of violence and wit. Set in a Mennonite town where surface piety and strict purity codes mask a criminal underworld both organized and petty, Luke Falk must navigate the complex world of shunning, outcasts, and crime as he returns home to the religious enclave of his upbringing. As tension builds, who can say what will happen next.
Brief description:
Randy Nikkel Schroeder is the author of Arctic Smoke, Crooked Timber: Seven Suburban Faerie Tales, and over 50 published short stories and autofictions. He is Professor of English, Languages, and Cultures at Mount Royal University in Calgary, where he also lives.
Review Quotes:
"Schroeder's dark, unrelenting noir gives little ground to the squeamish. [...] Everything in Schroeder's gauntlet of wickedness, endless conflict and hypocrisy is cranked up to 11." -- Winnipeg Free Press