![]() Intertwined throughout Dubus’ hard-knock childhood and growing up to defend himself with his fists, is the story of his father. It pulls you in as if you are standing on that street corner, waiting for the fight, too. In the beginning of each new scene, Dubus gives a sentence or two of introduction, then describes in detail the sights, sounds, and particularly the smells. One of my favorite things about reading Townie was Dubus’ formulaic writing style and the way he set up scenes. The Merrimack: Where childhoods go to die. It spares no gritty detail on back alleys filled with cigarette butts and broken glass, passing around a pint of Southern Comfort and a joint waiting for the school bus to take them to middle school, and the persistent, soul-crushing stench of the brown, bubbling Merrimack River. Townie is a story of what it’s like to grow up poor, nearly fatherless, and fighting for your life in the streets of Boston in the 1970s and ’80s. ![]() ![]() Townie was a powerful book on multiple levels it was raw and visceral, heartbreaking, and utterly inspiring to me as a writer. A few weeks ago I finished reading a memoir called Townie by Andre Dubus III, author of House of Sand and Fog. ![]()
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