Out of the Woods

Seven years ago, Chris Offutt made his literary debut with <I>Kentucky Straight,</I> a fiercely original collection that earned him not only critical praise but many prestigious awards. <BR> The eight new stories in <I>Out of the Woods</I> mark Offutt's return to the form in which he first displayed his astonishing talent. Offutt, who "draws landscape and constructs dialogue with the eyes and ears of a native son" <I>(The Miami Herald),</I> is on strong home turf here, capturing those who have left the Kentucky hills and long to return. These are stories of gravediggers and drifters, gamblers and truck drivers a long way from home, tales that are so full of hard edges they can't help but tell some hard truths.