SKU: 97340530231

Against the Country

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Against the CountryBy: Ben Metcalf NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY VULTURE AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR Against the Country is a gift for fans of Southern Gothic and metafiction alike. Set in the Virginia pines, and overrun with failed parents, racist sex offenders, cast off priests, and suicidal chickens, this novel challenges literary convention even as it attacks our national myththat the rural naturally engenders good, while the urban

By: Ben Metcalf  
NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY VULTURE AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • Against the Country is a gift for fans of Southern Gothic and metafiction alike. Set in the Virginia pines, and overrun with failed parents, racist sex offenders, cast-off priests, and suicidal chickens, this novel challenges literary convention even as it attacks our national myth—that the rural naturally engenders good, while the urban breeds an inevitable sin.

In a voice both perfectly American and utterly new, Ben Metcalf introduces the reader to Goochland County, Virginia—a land of stubborn soil, voracious insects, lackluster farms, and horrifying trees—and details one family’s pitiful struggle to survive there. Eventually it becomes clear that Goochland is not merely the author’s setting; it is a growing, throbbing menace that warps and scars every one of his characters’ lives.

Equal parts fiery criticism and icy farce, Against the Country is the most hilarious sermon one is likely to hear on the subject of our native soil, and the starkest celebration of the language our land produced. The result is a literary tour de force that raises the question: Was there ever a narrator, in all our literature, so precise, so far-reaching, so eloquently misanthropic, as the one encountered here?

Praise for Against the Country

“Iconoclastic . . . Against the Country has obvious affinities to Southern Gothic, both in its voice and in the delight it takes in rural ignorance and grotesqueries. . . . [A] country cousin of David Foster Wallace.”The New York Times Book Review

“Exceptional in its verbal brilliance and conscientiousness, Against the Country involves us in a family’s anguished and hilarious struggle against the strange dooms that seem peculiar to white rural America. This is a savage and gladdening novel.”—Joseph O’Neill, author of Netherland and The Dog

“Metcalf’s unnamed narrator dazzles with his Puritan deadpan and capacious intellect, not to mention his double-barreled blasts of dark humor and wicked satire. . . . There are so many brilliant turns of phrase in Against the Country that it’s hard to choose favorites, but Metcalf is at his sharpest and most seductive when his antihero does more than blast and blame, when he steps outside his sermons to say something real. . . . Every note in every solo is sounded with exquisite perfection.”Slate

“Faulknerian . . . eccentric, magnificent Southern Gothic metafiction.”Vanity Fair

“Ben Metcalf is a brilliant writer, and Against the Country is an ingenious and hilarious novel, a glittering, bitter celebration of how the lousiness of life can be redeemed in the hands (and mouth) of a top-shelf teller of life’s stories.”—Sam Lipsyte, author of The Ask and The Fun Parts

“A daring conglomeration of every trick, swindle and gimmick possible using only ink and paper, a pulpwood imagination machine so finely and expertly wrought that it can take on Jefferson, Thoreau, the church, patriotism, race relations, sexual identity, J. D. Salinger, the myth of America and a thousand other targets . . . [Against the Country] is absolutely and completely worth all investment of time and effort, because it is an undeniably beautiful object, sharp as a new razor.”—NPR

“One of the more necessary—and most eloquent—expressions of a distinctly American, provincial rage in some years.”Flavorwire

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SKU: 97340530231

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Love, love and recommended to friends. Leaves my skin feeling and looking great. At 69 I don't expect miracles but can definitely see an improvement in texture, glow and line minimizing. I'm hooked and will never be without!
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Micro-needling effect!
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Love how you can feel the micro-needling effect. I use this is my first application after toning and follow up with my serum and moisturizing routine. I do believe it gives my face a plump feeling, especially after gua sha. Will continue to use in my daily!
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Michelle B. Govertsen
Charlottesville, US
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Helps my moisturizer absorb better
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I’m not quite sure if the product is fully working the way it is supposed to but I do like that when I use this and the apply moisturizer, it absorbs into my skin better and leaves my skin smoother and a lot less greasy. It’s easy to throw in my travel bag because of the size and you really only just need a little for each use so it goes a long way got the cost.
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This makes my skin feel so smooth. The appearance of my skin also is starting to look a lot better/younger. I've been using it for a week and a half already seeing changes.
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Holly K.
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★★★★★ 3
Brightens, doesn't firm
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I've been using this for about a month now, every night on my face and neck, hoping to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and tighten some of my skin in that area that seems to be losing elasticity. On my neck, I've honestly noticed no real difference in 4 weeks of continued, consistent daily use. The skin on my face does seem brighter and somewhat less textured than before, but I haven't noticed any change in the issues I was hoping this would resolve, based on the claims and how it was marketed. So... not a bad addition to my skincare, but not the solution I was looking for. Some have expressed concerns about it tingling or stinging... You can feel something when you apply it, it's almost like the feeling of static electricity, but it's very mild. I wouldn't let that stop you from giving it a try if you were concerned about it. It didn't cause my sensitive skin any breakouts or redness (although I was applying it at night before bed, so perhaps any redness was calmed overnight). I'm going to go ahead and finish the bottle, but based on these results, I probably won't repurchase.
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