I am obviously a sucker for tales of good folk in rural settings. So when compiling a stack of books for the cottage bookshelf last year, I grabbed Truck and Coop, one I had read 10 years prior and the other started but neglected in favor of bedtime stories for Will.
What follows is an almost gluttonous consumption of his collective work musing on fire fighting, community, butchering, and family gatherings. He tackles the subject of life and death with grace and frankness that at times has left me sobbing openly at the artful truth of his writing. I needed a day’s recovery reading about his nephew’s death before I could pick it back up and continue reading.
Unlike my girl Laura, who departed this existence in 1957, Perry is astonishingly present on social media, where he posts podcasts, music, and essays on the regular. We have even exchanged pleasantries on Twitter, where I quote back to him a favorite passage discovered for the first time. He has retweeted me when I fangirl OUT and buy way too many books to read at a time. But that is where I discover other fans who eagerly recommend which title to read next.
I’m four titles deep into this fandom and started my fifth this morning, hanging in a hammock between two trees before moving over to the fire pit where it’s warmer. There’s something about being at the cottage combined with his style of storytelling that is forcing me to slow down and relish every word.
Find him at www.sneezingcow.com
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