Book Review : Adam Howe - Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet (2015)

Order DIE DOG OR EAT THE HATCHET here

The process of writing fiction is perceived as inherently serious by pretty much everybody. The AMBITION of writing novels for a living is perceived as silly, but novels themselves are written and read viscerally by everyone mostly because of the sheer work and commitment that goes into writing and reading them. They're taken seriously because they would feel like a monstrous waste of time and attention if they weren't. It's a theory that I have about books and people that British author and winner of Stephen King's On Writing short story contest Adam Howe tested with his collection Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet and you know what? It made a couple great points.

So, Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet is pretty much the literary equivalent of watching a triple-header at the drive-in. It's a collection of three anachronistic novellas that examine one aspect of grindhouse culture each: monsters (Damn Dirty Apes), slashers (Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet) and crazy psychopath rednecks (Gator Bait). The closest thing to a conventional protagonist here is Reggie Levine, from Damn Dirty Apes who is pretty much a hybrid between an antihero and a stand-up comedian. The story is fun, Adam Howe's writing style is lean, free-flowing and easy on a reader's eyes, but it would've been a straightforward and forgettable monster story if it wasn't for its killer sense of humor. The story overstays its welcome by a couple chapters, but I didn't care because it made me laugh.

My favorite story in the collection probably was Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet, which was a slasher story. Not that the story was particularly similar outside of starring a female protagonist, but the tone and the setting reminded me of French movie High Tension. I thought it highlighted the difference between slasher stories and boring, self-important serial killer stories that have been plaguing literature since Thomas Harris made the mistake of actually writing a great one. Reading Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet (the story) was like living through a tailor-made nightmare that Adam Howe would've constructed from conscious fears: claustrophobia, paranoia, urban legends, it had a mythical, larger-than-life edge to it that gave it a powerful identity. It tries to scare you, but it doesn't try to feel real.

Adam Howe named Joe Lansdale as one of his influences and there are definitely parallels to be traced between both writers. How is considerably darker though. Take for example Gator Bait, which is the closest thing you'll ever find to a redneck tragedy. There's a love story, an all-powerful cuckolded man and freakin' gators. Lansdale would've turned that setting into an Indiana Jones-like setting, but Howe turns it into a chicken-fried Othello. There are definitely stylistic resemblances between Adam Howe and Joe Lansdale, but there are profound philosophical differences, which is great for readers because they each have their own paradigm. Fans of Lansdale will definitely want to check out Adam Howe though and I'm a fan of Lansdale myself, so take my word for it!

That's ultimately Adam Howe's calling card: uniqueness. Both in his storytelling and his writing philosophy. I don't want to say the stories of Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet are meant to be thrown away, but I didn't feel any visceral connection between Adam Howe and his characters, which was refreshing. Howe writes solely for the reader, the way a hot shot screenwriter would do. I don't know how much appeal a novella collection has to a contemporary reader, but the quality of the writing and the originality of Adam Howe's angle take precedence on the format here. Not the most visceral reading experience I've ever had, but it wasn't designed to be. It sure is worth a read if you're nostalgic for the drive-in era!