the
n i g h t s ta n d
Fourth of July Creek By S m i t h H en d erso n 480 pp., $26.99
The pleasurable feeling of being menaced by a suspenseful story that entirely grabs you and won’t let you go starts on page 1 of Henderson’s debut novel, as a social worker shows up in a Montana town to investigate (and attempt to help) a troubled teen whose mother is hopped up on speed. Henderson, an alum of the Michener Center for Writers at UT, is a Montana native. His determined social worker, Pete Snow, uncovers Thunderstruck & Other Stories By Elizabeth McC r ac k e n 240 pp., $26
an assortment of vicious cases until his estranged daughter disappears and the FBI starts sniffing around.
Surf Texas By Ken n y B rau n 144 pp., $55
After eyeing the pages of Surf Texas, lingering on its black-and-white images, you
A cursory description of the events that
put the book down feeling a little water-
occur in McCracken’s new collection (her
logged and sun-baked. That’s a compli-
first in 20 years) makes her stories sound
ment to the deeply immersive quality of
like tabloid fodder, more like a horror
Braun’s photographs: he makes you feel as
novel than a thoughtful offering from
if you’re in the water with these bands of
one of the most respected literary writers
surfing brothers. A surfer himself, Braun
publishing today. Murder, disappearing
has shot for Texas Monthly, Wired, South-
children, a ghost child, abuse: welcome to
ern Living, and Pentagram Design, among
McCracken’s world! But horror and deep
others. Feeling ambivalent about sunbath-
insight, humor and grim happenings in-
ing with the crowds at South Padre Island
tertwine themselves in her writing. Mc-
this summer? Spend time with Surf Texas
Cracken is a National Book Award finalist
and you’ll feel as if you were there (without
who teaches at the Michener Center; her
the sting of sea salt in your eyes).
stories wittily evoke strange associations while serving up honest revelations. tribeza.com june 2014
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