First published 1985
Calvin Trillin travels across America to investigate unexpected deaths that reveal how ordinary people live. He visits an Iowa farm where a respectable farmer's life unravels after meeting a woman in a cocktail lounge. In Eastern Kentucky, he encounters an angry old man who despises a documentary crew filming in his territory. Two women seeking quiet lives in rural Virginia discover themselves locked in bitter conflict over a simple road dispute. Trillin explores Mexican American families in California who pass down violent grudges through generations. He profiles a flashy Miami defense attorney whose lifestyle creates a long list of potential killers. These deaths fascinate Trillin not because of violence or detective work, but because they strip away the surface of American lives. Each story exposes the hidden tensions, desires, and conflicts that simmer beneath everyday existence. Trillin shows how death becomes a lens for understanding the complex ways Americans navigate relationships, ambition, and community in modern life.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, mystery, crime
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, slice-of-life
Setting: California, Eastern Kentucky, Iowa, Miami, Virginia
Period: modern
256 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books
Content warnings: death, violence