This is a powerful read peopled with explosive characters leading small lives that intersect in tragic mayhem. There is not an once of padding in the writing, which is sharp and written in a no-nonsense, minimalist style that I'm sure the late Raymond Carver would have been proud of. Some of the characters would fit right in to the other cast of characters in the movie, Pulp Fiction. In fact, I love the whole retro feel of these characters that are modern, yet old school and perhaps could have walked straight from the pages of the dime novels of old. They wear their passions on their sleeves and don't hold back when expressing their desires or their pain. Just like the characters, the writing is visceral and doesn't mince words, which is riveting as well as refreshing. ( )