Hitchhiking After Dark: Offbeat Stories from a Small Town

Richard Hill
Gale Force Press (2010)
ISBN 9780981737195
Reviewed by Marissa Libbit for Reader Views (09/10)

 

“Hitchhiking After Dark: Offbeat Stories from a Small Town” by Richard Hill is a collection of twenty-seven stories from the life of the author, a native Michigan Upper Peninsula dweller.  Told with humor, the stories cover Hill’s childhood to his retirement.  With an offbeat cast of characters including family members, Hill creates a feeling of comfort for the reader.  While the stories don’t always stay with you, cumulatively they remind the reader of all of the stories that make up his or her life.  We all have those stories and those family members and friends.  Hill does a nice job of allowing the reader to paint his or her own picture of offbeat stories. 

My favorite stories included “Beer, Brats, and Heavy Breathing,” the tale of a 50th-wedding anniversary held at a town hall.  Charlie, the “groom,” explained the solution to a beverage problem: “Well, the boys ran out of CO2 to pressure the kegs about an hour ago, so I’m lending them my oxygen tank.  Seems to work right well!”  I have been in those town halls, and easily envisioned the dilemma and solution!

I also enjoyed reading “Murphy’s Last Ride,” which painted the picture of his more rural family mixing with his brother in-law’s new Chicago family and the comical and scary ride back home.  The story suggested resemblances to the National Lampoon movies. 

I wish the book had been more chronological, as it would have helped me to keep track of the sequence of events in Mr. Hill’s life.  He seemed to be jack-of-all trades.  Also, “The Ten Suggestions,” an interesting commentary on the Ten Commandments, seems out of place within the premise of the book.  Overall, though, “Hitchhiking After Dark” will be a comfortable, safe read that may invoke happy memories for the reader who has an eclectic mix of friends, family, and experiences. 

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