by Sarah Smarsh
First published 2010
Sarah Smarsh crafts a collection of fictional tales set across the Kansas landscape, where characters live outside the law's boundaries. These stories explore the lives of those who chose rebellion over conformity in America's heartland. Smarsh draws from the state's history of conflict and independence to create narratives about people who defied authority and social expectations. The collection examines what drives ordinary individuals to become outlaws, whether through desperation, principle, or circumstance. Set against the vast plains and small towns of Kansas, these tales reveal the tensions between individual freedom and collective order. Smarsh's characters navigate moral complexities as they make choices that put them at odds with society.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, 19th-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: individual-freedom, moral-complexity
Setting: Kansas
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century, 21st-century
144 pages · Paperback · TwoDot