Godforsaken Idaho, Shawn Vestal
Godforsaken Idaho, Shawn Vestal
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Godforsaken Idaho
Stories

Author: Shawn Vestal

Narrator: Benjamin L. Darcie

Unabridged: 4 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download (DRM Protected)

Published: 04/02/2013


Synopsis

Winner of the 2014 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction
Shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing
Named “Outstanding 2013 Collection” by The Story Prize
Pushcart Prize WinnerIn this stunning debut, Shawn Vestal transports us to the afterlife, the rugged Northwest, and the early days of Mormonism. From “The First Several Hundred Years Following My Death,” an absurd, profound vision of a hellish heaven, to “Winter Elders,” in which missionaries calmly and relentlessly pursue a man who has left the fold, these nine stories illuminate the articles of faith that make us human.The concluding triptych tackles the legends and legacy of Mormonism head-on, culminating in “Diviner,” a seriocomic portrait of the young Joseph Smith, back when he was not yet the founder of a religion but a man hired to find buried treasure. Godforsaken Idaho is an indelible collection by the writer you need to read next.

About Shawn Vestal

Shawn Vestal is an Eastern Washington University alumnus. He has had stories from the collection published in Tin House, McSweeney’s, and others.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Maciek on January 14, 2015

Godforsaken Idaho is tough to review for a simple reason - it left practically no impression on me after I read it. It is a collection of short stories, none of which stood out in any way, and none of which I would like to return to in the future. The main subject of the book is Mormonism - the auth......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on May 14, 2013

I rarely find a collection of short stories that are so consistent in quality and tone. Most of these deal with Mormons (well, ex-Mormons) in western U.S. in the 1980s, but even the ones that don't (Gulls, Diviner, and the amazing first one) fit the theme of sinners and mistake-makers finding their......more

Goodreads review by Liza on May 19, 2015

Mitt Romney, DON’T READ THIS! Actually, Mitt and Ann and their 5 square-jawed sons could probably relate to some of the characters in “Godforsaken Idaho.” Lapsed Mormon Shawn Vestal’s unsettling and often harsh short story collection doesn’t so much tackle his former religion as it does refract it. H......more

Goodreads review by Joe on April 06, 2013

A great collection of stories. Loved this book.......more

Goodreads review by Kent on September 17, 2013

Vestal approaches the type of fiction that has long been sought for coming out of the Mormon culture -- a literary voice drawing on a distinctive culture. The Intermountain West has a long way to go before we approach anything like the Jewish community's successes of Roth, Bellow, Singer, Mailer, Ma......more


Quotes

“[A] slam-dunk debut.” O Magazine“Not only is each story brilliantly constructed, but the collection as a whole is an architectural masterpiece…They’re written smartly…there’s utter brilliance…It’s terrific fiction. Vestal seems to be a writer we can trust to wake us up gorgeously to a certain angry reason, a certain subversive truth.” —Association for Mormon Letters“[A] darkly provocative story collection. Throughout these well-crafted stories, Vestal’s prose captures the gritty poignancy of western life.” Seattle Times