The first story in Once You Break a Knuckle finds an aging policeman violently punching a pad his smaller son holds in place. It's an abrupt entry into D.W. Wilson's world--a gritty, working-class town in British Columbia where the forests swallow lives and sentimentality seems erased by the snow. (Once You Break a Knuckle was originally published in 2012 in Canada and the U.K., where it was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize.)
The scene could serve as shorthand for all 12 stories in this collection, as each concerns strained emotional moments expressed through physical means. Though it is a distinctly masculine world, Wilson's sparse prose hints at undercurrents of emotional complexity. Most of the characters are bruised, physically and otherwise. They are low on money, and they carry heavy regrets.
While the men are revealed to be deeply feeling, the women are tough, embracing the physical challenge of their male-dominated jobs. They're important, but they do not eclipse the awkward love between male friends, the shifting gravity of power between father and son.
Though each story is distinct, they eventually connect with one another. Like small-town gossip, these revelations are sporadic and vaguely disturbing. It is as if with each piece, the reader revisits a local bar where memories slowly fall into place. --Annie Atherton