Pay in installments of $28.00 with
,
and
Shipping Estimate
USA
- USA
- CAN
- USA
- CAN
Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Sep 12 - Sep 17
For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15
Description
Against the CountryBy: Ben Metcalf NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY VULTURE AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR Against the Country is a gift for fans of Southern Gothic and metafiction alike. Set in the Virginia pines, and overrun with failed parents, racist sex offenders, cast off priests, and suicidal chickens, this novel challenges literary convention even as it attacks our national myththat the rural naturally engenders good, while the urban
By: Ben MetcalfNAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY VULTURE AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • Against the Country is a gift for fans of Southern Gothic and metafiction alike. Set in the Virginia pines, and overrun with failed parents, racist sex offenders, cast-off priests, and suicidal chickens, this novel challenges literary convention even as it attacks our national myth—that the rural naturally engenders good, while the urban breeds an inevitable sin.
In a voice both perfectly American and utterly new, Ben Metcalf introduces the reader to Goochland County, Virginia—a land of stubborn soil, voracious insects, lackluster farms, and horrifying trees—and details one family’s pitiful struggle to survive there. Eventually it becomes clear that Goochland is not merely the author’s setting; it is a growing, throbbing menace that warps and scars every one of his characters’ lives.
Equal parts fiery criticism and icy farce, Against the Country is the most hilarious sermon one is likely to hear on the subject of our native soil, and the starkest celebration of the language our land produced. The result is a literary tour de force that raises the question: Was there ever a narrator, in all our literature, so precise, so far-reaching, so eloquently misanthropic, as the one encountered here?
Praise for Against the Country
“Iconoclastic . . . Against the Country has obvious affinities to Southern Gothic, both in its voice and in the delight it takes in rural ignorance and grotesqueries. . . . [A] country cousin of David Foster Wallace.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Exceptional in its verbal brilliance and conscientiousness, Against the Country involves us in a family’s anguished and hilarious struggle against the strange dooms that seem peculiar to white rural America. This is a savage and gladdening novel.”—Joseph O’Neill, author of Netherland and The Dog
“Metcalf’s unnamed narrator dazzles with his Puritan deadpan and capacious intellect, not to mention his double-barreled blasts of dark humor and wicked satire. . . . There are so many brilliant turns of phrase in Against the Country that it’s hard to choose favorites, but Metcalf is at his sharpest and most seductive when his antihero does more than blast and blame, when he steps outside his sermons to say something real. . . . Every note in every solo is sounded with exquisite perfection.”—Slate
“Faulknerian . . . eccentric, magnificent Southern Gothic metafiction.”—Vanity Fair
“Ben Metcalf is a brilliant writer, and Against the Country is an ingenious and hilarious novel, a glittering, bitter celebration of how the lousiness of life can be redeemed in the hands (and mouth) of a top-shelf teller of life’s stories.”—Sam Lipsyte, author of The Ask and The Fun Parts
“A daring conglomeration of every trick, swindle and gimmick possible using only ink and paper, a pulpwood imagination machine so finely and expertly wrought that it can take on Jefferson, Thoreau, the church, patriotism, race relations, sexual identity, J. D. Salinger, the myth of America and a thousand other targets . . . [Against the Country] is absolutely and completely worth all investment of time and effort, because it is an undeniably beautiful object, sharp as a new razor.”—NPR
“One of the more necessary—and most eloquent—expressions of a distinctly American, provincial rage in some years.”—Flavorwire
Shipping Notes
- Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
- Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
- Delivery to the USA:
- Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
- If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
- We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
- Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
- To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
- Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
4.1 ★★★★★
Based on 27 reviews
Sort
Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
All around helpful---worth the money!
Format: Paperback
This guide has been most helpful for all the folks I help prepare for the iTEP test! It gives insight into what each section of the test is looking for along with examples and great tips about actually TAKING the test. In the Writing and Speaking sections, it also gives sample scores and comments from the Master Grader which is very helpful too.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2019
★★★★★ 5
Comprehensive, clear and coherent!
Format: Paperback
The iTEP Practice Guide combines a no-nonsense approach to the specific iTEP tests and at the same time offers exercises that task the student with what they need to know. Exercises not only serve the purpose of scoring well, but the overall approach is communicative competence. We use the text in our group and one-to-one classes with very positive--and lasting--results.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2019
★★★★★ 1
No recomiendo
Format: Paperback
Muy malo, no vine completo, además se demoró mucho más de lo que decía al momento de comprarlo. Solo aplazaban la fecha de entrega sin consultar cómo afectaba al cliente. Yo tuve que presentar el examen sin el libro, porque no llegó en la fecha que decía al comprarlo y después se cambió 3 veces la fecha, casi cumpliendo el mes.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2025
★★★★★ 5
VERY EFFICIENT MATERIAL
Format: Paperback
It's the most efficient material to prepare the test.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2020
★★★★★ 5
All around helpful---worth the money!
Format: Paperback
This guide has been most helpful for all the folks I help prepare for the iTEP test! It gives insight into what each section of the test is looking for along with examples and great tips about actually TAKING the test. In the Writing and Speaking sections, it also gives sample scores and comments from the Master Grader which is very helpful too.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2019
recommand products
Dayang Hamster Cage (B200) - 33 x 23 x 26cm - 6Pcs/Box[Dimension - 33 x 23 x 26cm]
55.00
Yusee Aquarium Decoration - Artificial Plant - YS-192158 (H:14")
43.00
Sera Crabs Natural 100ml[Volume - 100ml]
36.00
Sera Costapur F 50ml[Volume - 100 ml]
68.00
Yusee Aquarium Decoration YS-2016006 (26x19.5x10cm)[Size - M]
67.00