Deford

Having known Shetzline slightly in Newport, Oregon, in the mid-'70s, I read both of his books, DEFORD and HECKLETOOTH 3, back then; and of the two, "3" is the better. Nonetheless, there are images, scenes, and conversations from DEFORD that a quarter century later still remain with me, such as Joe Raven's haunting description of his fall from the tall steel when he was an ironworker; the ploy Deford used for catching a huge, cannibalistic trout; and the way, in the end, guile overcomes force. In a sense, though, DEFORD itself is a guileless book, sometimes awkward, yes, but true and earnest in a way novels are not permitted to be anymore. Shetzline probably wouldn't make it into writing school today on the strength of a novel like DEFORD, but who really needs all that is put out by the writing schools, anyway? If you can find DEFORD, by all means read it. But search until you find HECKLETOOTH 3, because you must read it.