Visigoth — Gary Amdahl

Visigoth is a portrait of the American male -- gritty, violent, and fascinating. The protagonists in this collection of stories come from all walks of life -- hockey players, middle managers, political hopefuls, and wayward husbands -- but all share a tendency to turn towards violence when life begins spinning out of control. In The Flyweight, an all-star high-school wrestler struggles with his own success and the expectations of others when he begins hearing voices after a schizophrenic breakdown. Visigoth, the title story, depicts a college hockey player unable to understand that his relationship with an English professor is over. The novella Free Fall focuses on a cycle of escalating violence in small farming and mining towns and the effect that it has on the main character and his family. Sharp, inquisitive, and witty, Visigoth challenges the reader to question the popular glory of violence in all its manifestations.