Guillermo Hernandez Hernandez من عند Veléna, Lizuma pagasts, LV-4415، لاتفيا من عند Veléna, Lizuma pagasts, LV-4415، لاتفيا

I approached this, my second reading of these short stories, with some trepidation. I still recalled, even years later, how shocked I was to encounter the murderous Misfit in the title story when I was expecting instead some nice Southern stories with quirky characters and down-home charm. O'Connor breaks this mold thoroughly, and creates her own with violence and misfortune exaggerated to an almost comic degree. But I am not a fan of black comedy, so I find I can't rate this as highly as the clever writing and unique style might otherwise warrant. Still there are some insights to be gained within, some of which only came to me days later out of the blue. Maybe best read in small doses, so you aren't worn down by the bleak lives of the characters as they head towards their inevitable hopeless dead-ends.