Potted Meat

This is an interesting format to write a novel about a person's life. The collection of short pieces gave a lot of insight into the person's life, along with his family, friends, and people who weren't really his friends, and the culture in West Virginia. I found the book interesting, but it isn't the type of book I would have bought on my own. Someone recommended it to me, and I'm glad they did.

Steven Dunn's Potted Meat is set in a decaying town in West Virginia, and while the narrative is contiguous, the action unfolds elliptically, in fluttering shots, like a reel of film unwinding. The reel is divided into three segments, 1. LIFT TAB 2. PEEL BACK 3. ENJOY CONTENTS. The author’s voice is spare and evenly balanced, conveying essentials without overstating.“Every day after me and Grandad sit on the porch and eat fried green tomatoes, my cousin teaches me how to draw.”That’s the first sentence. “I get in the car, nod at Leonard and Dee. And my recruiter pulls off.”Those are the last two, as the protagonist is whisked off into a new life away from his moribund roots. In between them is one of the best original works of prose this reporter has come across locally since the halcyon days of Don Becker and Phillip Duncan, speaking as a former insider, not that there’s any comparison between any one of these writers to another, but that each embodies a level of worth accessible to all, despite their differences, one to another. To which this reporter will add that his discovery of the greatness of FBomb was truly encouraging as to the notion of hidden pockets of greatness persisting irrepressibly in Denver, whether or not one pays attention. What! Potted Meat is a perceptibly heartfelt work, presumably largely or entirely based in personal experience, Dunn having been young in West Virginia himself, and has tangible impact on the reader, as here:Everyone is downstairs crying. I walk upstairs to Grandma’s room. It is dark. Her dirty pink house shoes are lined up by the nightstand like she just got into bed. The covers on her side are pulled back like she just got out of bad. I leave and ask my mom how Grandma died. My mom says she just turned yellow and died, What, I say. You heard me, she says, she just turned yellow and died. I will never eat dandelions again. That’s the entirety of a chapter in Potted Meat called “Yellow.” Dunn’s writing is stark and pure. Lovingly packaged and presented by indie press, Tarpaulin Sky, Potted Meat is destined in this reviewer’s humble opinion to be a priceless collectors’ item in no time (get yours now). This is a book you'll keep buying further copies of to give away as gifts.

Vibrant autofiction in short vignettes. It was a fast read. I loved it so much I flipped back and re-read sections. It brings rural life in West Virginia into sharp, sometimes painful, focus.

I thank Steven Dunn so much for writing this book. I love how with a few words the author makes the reader see, smell, hear, taste and feel a whole world. At times I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't in West Virginia. I swallowed hard, my heart skipped a beat, I laughed, I teared up, my heart had an extra beat, I feared, I learned, I cursed, I grew, I'm not alone. It is vital that we talk about abuse to find a solution or create a support system, and this book starts the conversation. Congratulations on your book Mr. Dunn!!! Amazing!!!

Steven Dunn’s “Potted Meat” is written almost like a book of poetry. Short, sometimes purposefully incomplete, images that took me a little while to get used to, but when I did I was transported. The story he tells combines pain, beauty, love, hate, fear and other emotions that I lack the ability to put into words. This is a book to read and savor slowly.

Had to buy this book for class- I'm skeptical at this point about the books my prof chooses because I think he misses more often than he hits. Read the whole thing today and it wasn't bad story wise, however I must say a) unsatisfactory ending b) not worth what I had to pay for it. If you look at it like a donation to a small press sure fine ok, but otherwise it's too much. Large font, pages are not filled, only to page 101 is actually the novel... if I can buy a copy of Most paperbacks for say 8/10 bucks, there is no reason this book should cost 16. Espescially when I'm getting LESS content and less emotional satisfaction.

One of the best books I have ever read. Steven Dunn's ability to create this narrative from his own experiences, and paint a picture of a WV adolescence was stunning. I can't wait for more from this phenomenal author. :)

Superb book. Brilliantly biting, unapologetic, cold, abrasive, dark. Could not put it down. Wish it wasn't so short.