The Spaces of Violence

In The Spaces of Violence, James R. Giles examines ten contemporary American novels for the unique ways in which they explore violence and space as interrelated phenomena. These texts are Russell Bankss Affliction, Cormac McCarthys Outer Dark and Child of God, Lewis Nordans Wolf Whistle, Dorothy Allisons Bastard Out of Carolina, Don DeLillos End Zone, Denis Johnsons Angels, Sherman Alexies Indian Killer, Robert Stones Dog Soldiers, and Bret Easton Elliss American Psycho. A concluding chapter extends the focus to texts by Jane Smiley, Toni Morrison, Edwidge Danticat, and Chuck Palahniuk, who treat the destructive effects of violence on family structures.