Plain of Jars and Other Stories

In the opening story of Geary Hobson#x19;s riveting new collection, Plain of Jars, a young private confides to his friend that he#x19;s trying to leave the Marine Corps. #x1C;I am not doing this just because I find the Marine Corps too tough,#x1D; Warren Needham says, but because violence is contradictory to his faith. The story#x19;s surprising climax, however, reveals a different side of Needham#x19;s contradictory nature. It#x19;s this acute understanding of conflict that characterizes Plain of Jars, a book populated by bullies, men in combat, abusive spouses, and Native Americans seeking a sense of personal identity in an environment where conformity is law. The U.S. Marine Corps sets the stage for a number of these stories, whose protagonists combat racism, post-traumatic stress syndrome, and the looming reality of the Vietnam War. With pitch perfect dialogue and a sense of the unexpected, Plain of Jars tests the depths of complex lives.

Geary Hobson is a professor, poet, novelist, short story writer, and literary scholar. He teaches English and Native American literature at the University of Oklahoma.