A short story collection of slightly off-kilter slices of life, many in Montana. A man going through a bit of a troubled spell steals and collects people's dogs in town. A man whose wife dies hooks up with a "little homewrecker." A couple deals with their teenage daughter's pregnancy. The title story is the sordid tale of Bobby Decatur, a rich young man whose ambition is to be a pimp in San Francisco. It turns out badly for Bobby and his girlfriend, who he turns into his first prostitute.

The people are odd, the sex is odd - prison yard sex, sex with a CPR dummy, an obsession with prostitution. The stories are simultaneously disturbing and amusing. ( )

Had this long ago, only remembered one story. The usual excellent writing and characters. Found this hardcover hiding amid a crowd of paperbacks on Amazon and grabbed it. ( )

Like most of McGuane's other work, this collection features men adept at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Their fatal flaw is their mistaken beliefs about masculinity. Those beliefs prove their undoing when his characters come up against life's realities, which do not adhere to mythologies of identity. ( )

I found McGuane through Jim Harrison and I was hooked after the first story in this collection. Most of his endings are subtle and require a second (or third) reading to fully grasp what he is saying or trying to accomplish. For readers who like everything spelled out for them, this stylistic choice might leave them a bit annoyed, but the nuances of McGuane's writing really speaks to his ability to present realistic characters in situations which aren't implausible or even that uncommon. These stories aren't exactly challenging in terms of content which makes the collection readable and accessible. Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that some endings are stark and rather depressing. This is definitely not a collection to pick up if you are already feeling a bit down, but it is definitely quality writing representative of (cultural) Americana. ( )

Très décevant, pas de cohérence, des clichés mis bout à bout... ( )