Based on a novel by William Gay ("That Eveng Sun"), "Provc of Night" is an unwieldy servg of Southern disfort that plays out like fourth-rate Flkner.
Contents:
PROVC OF NIGHT BY WILLIAM GAY
AMANDA FREEMAN, CROSSROADS AND MEMORY IN WILLIAM GAY'S PROVINCES OF NIGHT, South: A Scholarly Journal, Vol. 49, No. 2 (SPRING 2017), pp. 146-165 * william gay provinces of night *
When I read William Gay’s first novel, The Long Home, recently, I had the strong feelg that I had disvered the work of someone very special – and readg Provc of Night has nfirmed that for me. Gay wr wh a refully and languidly – the breadth and pth of his wrg mands full attentn om the rear, and the rewards are great above-mentned languid qualy of his work do not for a sgle moment dite any sort of lazs on his part – wrg this good n, of urse, e om the foundatn of a natural talent, but tak hard and diligent work to e up wh a fished product of this qualy.
Gay’s characters are vivid and real, and they are built up slowly – the rear is required to get to know them, rather than havg them dumped off the page and to their lap.
Set the same small ral Tennsee town which his earlier novel tak place – but the 1950s this time, as opposed to the 1940s – Gay ptur the settg and characters wh absolute perfectn. William Gay is a wrer of amazg talent and patience – if you’re a fan of well-wrten, pellg fictn that ntas emotn as well as a gentle dose of humor now and then, you owe to yourself to check out his work.