Enough to Lose

Stories of the small-town struggle to reconcile tradition with inevitable change.

Winner, 2024 Michigan Notable Book! In nine captivating short stories, RS Deeren presents a vivid portrait of life in rural Michigan. Small family farms are dwarfed by looming wind turbines and are transformed into corporate enterprises; polarizing local and national politics turn neighbor against neighbor and raze long-standing community allegiances; hard-working families fight for survival in a home that is increasingly unrecognizable and untenable. Exploring the limitations of rugged individualism in the face of relentless economic downturn, these stories feature recurring characters and narratives that span from the Great Flood of 1986 to the 2016 presidential election. With unflinching empathy, Deeren weaves together the colorful lives of landscapers, hunters, artists, parolees, retirees, and entrepreneurs, characters who reckon with their relationship to this unique slice of the rural Midwest. Enough to Lose reveals how a region resistant to change and outside intervention struggles to adapt and leaves locals feeling left behind. Deeren artfully illustrates the brutal realities of working-class rural life that are punctuated by moments of beauty, humor, and resilience.

Author: Rs Deeren
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Published: 09/05/2023
Pages: 176
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.47lbs
Size: 8.47h x 5.63w x 0.36d
ISBN: 9780814350409

About the Author

A native "Thumbody," RS Deeren is an assistant professor of creative writing at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. His research interests include contemporary fiction, US working-class studies, and rural-urban dynamics. His fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have appeared in periodicals including The Great Lakes Review, Joyland, Midwestern Gothic, and more. He has also worked as a line cook, landscaper, lumberjack, and bank teller, just like some of the characters in these stories. He received his PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.