DeepSummary
The episode features a conversation with author Adam O'Fallon Price about the novel 'Hard Rain Falling' by Don Carpenter. They discuss the book's surprising plot shifts, ranging from crime fiction to a gay love story in prison, and its insightful portrayal of complex male characters. Adam praises the book's emotional scope and literary merit, considering it one of the greatest novels of the 20th century.
They also touch on Adam's recent substack project where he reviewed William Trevor's short stories, reflecting on the challenges of that long-term commitment. Mike Ingram mentions his own low-stakes substack focused on personal archives and objects. Tom McAllister brings up Adam's football coach content on their writers' group chat, suggesting it could make for an entertaining substack.
The hosts playfully banter about the longevity of the podcast itself, with Adam suggesting literary projects sometimes have a natural short shelf life. They conclude by rating 'Hard Rain Falling' highly, deeming it engaging at both the sentence level and in its overarching narrative ambition.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The novel 'Hard Rain Falling' by Don Carpenter is widely considered an underrated 20th century masterpiece.
- The episode is a nuanced literary discussion analyzing the book's merits, from its emotional depth to its ambitious narrative shifts.
- Adam O'Fallon Price shares insights into his creative process through substack projects like reviewing William Trevor's stories.
- The hosts playfully reflect on the finite lifespan of literary publications and their own long-running podcast.
- There is an engaging dynamic and camaraderie between the hosts in their literary discourse.
- Literary works that provide surprising moments of insight and push boundaries are highly valued.
- Creative writing projects often involve struggles and regrets along with the rewards.
- Football coach quotes and mentalities provide an amusing creative inspiration.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “You know, the. If you're trying to think of substack ideas, Tom, if you were ever trying to think of subtech ideas, the sort of, like, football coach content that you introduce into the chat is so good. And it's one of my. It's one of the consistently most, like, funny things in the chat. Just the. Especially college football coaches are just the biggest dunces. Just like psychotic dunces.“ by Adam O'Fallon Price
- “Right, that's a good. That's a great passage. I love that.“ by Adam O'Fallon Price
- “I don't regret it now, but I definitely regretted it several times during the process.“ by Adam O'Fallon Price
Entities
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Episode Information
Book Fight
Mike Ingram and Tom McAllister
10/30/23
Author Adam O'Fallon Price (The Hotel Neversink) returns to talk about a great--if tough to categorize--Don Carpenter novel, Hard Rain Falling. We talk about the novel's many plot swerves, and the depth and surprise in its portrayal of complicated men. Plus: an update on Tom's fancy "white glove service" desk from West Elm.
For more on Adam, you can follow him on Twitter, or visit his website.
If you like the podcast, and want more of it in your life, we're doing two monthly bonus episodes for just $5: https://www.patreon.com/BookFight