by Barry Hannah
First published 1983
Harry Monroe grows up in Dream of Pines, Louisiana, where paper mills have replaced the forests. The town feels gloomy, but Harry burns with ambition to conquer the world beyond it. He draws inspiration from Geronimo, the Apache warrior who tore through the Old West on his legendary raids. Harry straps on knee boots and wraps a scarf around his neck, then plunges into the murky swamp of Southern adolescence during the 1950s and 1960s. A rogue peacock attacks him. He discovers the intoxicating worlds of women, rock and roll, and jazz music. He pursues a perverted white supremacist who believes he will become the next Henry Miller. Harry stumbles through these adventures, gradually finding his place in a region torn between brutal realities and wild dreams of what might be possible.
Genres: fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, coming-of-age
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water
Setting: Dream of Pines, Louisiana, Old West
Period: 1950s, 1960s
384 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books