Pullers a Novel

Definitely an entertaining fast read, quickly immersing you in both the characters and the arm wrestling subculture. It made me want to read more on the subject,and more by the author.

Combine the Southern gothic weirdness of Sling Blade with the lunatic fringe athletes of ESPN's X-Games and the sociological commentary of Carl Hiaasen and you'll have an idea of where to start with Pullers, a fine first novel from Memphis writer Tom Graves. Pullers takes on the heretofore untouched literary territory of arm-wrestling, and traces the arc of a crew of appealingly weird characters seeking the title of Professional Arm Wrestling Association World Champion. As Graves points out in his introduction, these arm wrestlers--"pullers"--don't engage in daylong matches of superhuman endurance. Matches last just a few ticks of the clock, and shattered forearms are all too common at the highest levels of this sport. Be forewarned--this novel is not for the weak of stomach. Pretty much anything that can go into or come out of a human body is on display here. One of the most graphic chapters details the ravaging effects of steroids on the body of former armwrestling champ Steve Strong. But Graves' good humor and gleefully over-the-top descriptions keep you laughing even through your queasiness. The only real flaw in this novel isn't the author's fault, it's the editors'. Mistakes like "$20,000 dollars" and misspelling "Schwarzenegger" are inexcusable. But Graves' descriptions are dead on-target, his dialogue is both witty and funny, and his characters are quirky without being caricatures. Graves' depiction of Memphis is one of the book's highlights. This isn't the golden-hued magnolias-and-porch swings Memphis of so many of Graves' contemporaries, nor is it the goofy conspiracy-minded overgrown small town of Grisham's books. Graves' Memphis is a complex place, where lunatics and lawyers alike thrive. This is good, promising work by a strong new Southern voice. Go a couple of rounds with Pullers--it'll take you down, guaranteed!

We're traveling in uncharted territory here, bud, the territory of juice freaks (not the Jack Lalanne kind, either) a land where, as an old-time carnival barker might say, everybody has his own proposition. You'll want to take a peek at this world, too, to find out something about your own little prejudices. I can't rightly say that a novel set in the South and focused on the world of professional arm-wrestling is going to be a breakout bestseller. But in a righteous world, Pullers ought to be. First-time novelist Tom Graves gives a voyeuristic look into the world of arm wrestling, its characters and their cons, their mind games and psyche-outs, and ultimately, teaches us a bit about the South, and its own preoccupation with things that are a bit off the track. You can't write a goddamn novel about the South without someone mentioning Faulkner, so I am going to beat you to it. Graves is perceptive enough to debunk the myth that Faulkner said "The Mississippi delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel."What does begin in Memphis, around the Peabody, though, is a little bit of what John Gardner might call moral fiction, a dissection of this odd little world that would make other moralists (I'm thinking here of Madison Smartt Bell, Russell Banks, or even Harry Crews) proud. In a jacket blurb, Harry Crews says everyone ought to buy this book. I'd be hard pressed to disagree. Pullers is both a fierce and funny book, a fine first novel.