The Outlaw Album - by Daniel Woodrell (Paperback)

About the Book

Twelve short stories depict people on the fringes of society, including an injured rapist who is cared for by a young girl and a husband who cruelly avenges the murder of his wife's pet.

Book Synopsis

Twelve timeless Ozarkian tales of those on the fringes of society, by a "stunningly original" American master (Associated Press).

Daniel Woodrell is able to lend uncanny logic to harsh, even criminal behavior in this wrenching collection of stories. Desperation-both material and psychological -- motivates his characters. A husband cruelly avenges the killing of his wife's pet; an injured rapist is cared for by a young girl, until she reaches her breaking point; a disturbed veteran of Iraq is murdered for his erratic behavior; an outsider's house is set on fire by an angry neighbor.

There is also the tenderness and loyalty of the vulnerable in these stories -- between spouses, parents and children, siblings, and comrades in arms-which brings the troubled, sorely tested cast of characters to vivid, relatable life. And, as ever, "the music coming from Woodrell's banjo cannot be confused with the sounds of any other writer"-Donald Harington, Atlanta Journal Constitution

"Twelve timeless Ozarkian tales of those on the fringes of society, by a "stunningly original"-Associated Press, American master.

Review Quotes

"An intense volume of fury and blood in the Ozarks, The Outlaw Album crystallizes Woodrell's slicing wit and unflinching confrontation with criminality and tragedy."--Donna Seaman, Kansas City Star

"He's chipped an impression of the Ozarks and its people in stone that will endure time....Let these stories be your Bible."--Chris Talbott, Associated Press

"Ozark writer Daniel Woodrell's first collection of short stories, The Outlaw Album is a stunner. Woodrell has the rare ability to tell compelling stories rooted in familiar soil that are simultaneously simple and complex, local and universal, funny and tragic."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Best Books of 2011"

About the Author

Daniel Woodrell is also the author of eight novels including The Maid's Version, Winter's Bone, and The Death of Sweet Mister, as well as the collection The Outlaw Album. He is the recipient of the PEN West Award, and five of his eight novels have been selected as New York Times Notable Books of the Year. Three of his novels have been adapted for film, including the Oscar-nominated Winter's Bone. He lived in the Ozarks near the Arkansas line with his wife, Katie Estill, and died in 2025.