"Into the Twilight, Endlessly Grousing"

"Into the Twilight, Endlessly Grousing."
Patrick McManus
Simon and Schuester, 1998
ISBN # 068484799X

In yet another volume of outdoorsman humor, Patrick McManus addresses such serious issues as: Firecrackers and other fun hobbies, what to do when the Stamp People come for you, the hazards of growing a beard, and why men cry.

I always think it's funny that two of my favorite authors don't seem to match up with me in any way. Firstly- Lewis Grizzard, Southern newspaper columnist from the the 70's (and a bit of a good ol' boy), and Secondly- Patrick McManus, an outdoorsman who pursues hunting, fishing, and camping. And yet, I love reading their work because, even though I have no common ground, their writing is so funny, you can have no knowledge of the subject and still get a chuckle. Patrick McManus has written a number of short story/personal essay collections, including "The Good Samaritan Strikes Again", "Real Ponies Don't Go Oink!", and "The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw". While there are some heavily fictionalized stories in this particular book, ("The Chicken Fried Club" and "Sam Spud and the Case of the Maltese Fly" definitely reek of the hard bitten detective genre), there are also some stories that have to be straight from Pat's life (and heart). There's usually a lot of laughs, but there are also a lot of moments that make you pause. One character, the Old Man, always makes me laugh and, at the same time, tear up. And, speaking of characters, Patrick McManus stories are populated with some of the best: Rancid Crabtree, the crotchety old mountain man. Retch Sweeny and Crazy Eddie, Pat's friends. The Troll, Pat's sister. And, my personal favorite, Patrick himself. Even if you aren't into the nature scene, Patrick McManus stories are still laughable.