Dog on the Cross

The title story--about a dog nailed to a cross outside a church, presumably to discourage its members--is one of the most haunting and graceful stories I've read in years. But what I like most about this collection is how the author depicts the Southern Pentecostal experience, without irony or prejudice, to produce a deeply engrossing collection of stories in which sum of its parts is somehow more than the individual pieces.Gwyn is one of the true descendents of Flannery O'Connor, with a little Larry Brown and Eudora Welty thrown into the mix. If you ever read with awe one of Flannery O'Connor's stories--such as "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" or "Good Country People"--you will not be disappointed in the least with Dog on the Cross.

With these stories Aaron Gwyn has tapped into something common in all of us. I read these short stories and was astonished by how original they were, taking the life of the Pentecostal and showing us something completely new, different. Each story takes you somewhere wholly unexpected. Gwyn is the O'Henry for our times. I'd recommend this book to any short story fan and those who really need to feel how strong a short story can hit you.