Dave Drayer's book 'Strip Cuts' reviewed on Amazon.com
Source:  E-mail from Anne Fogarty

Editorial Reviews

 Eddie Ryan, Rowdy House Reviews

Compassionate, funny, and tell-all honest, this irresistible debut offers an intimate look at the citizens of a forgotten Pennsylvania coal-town.

David Drayers writing is so enjoyable and easy to read one almost feels guilty calling it literary fiction. However, with seamlessly interwoven themes and a structure that deepens in meaning as the book goes on, it would be an understatement to call it anything less.

Strip Cuts, the title, a colloquialism for land left barren by strip-mining,is a series of story-like chapters
focusing on various citizens of Cherry Run, Pennsylvania. At first sight, the town appears as desolate as the strip cuts surrounding it, but thats a matter of perspective, and changing perspective is not only one of Drayers major themes, its his specialty. As we go from chapter to chapter, the commonplace begins to reveal oddities, which in turn begin to make perfect sense. For example, only upon reflection does one find it strange that a frozen turkey changes the course of a young couples life or that the garbage collector, a skinny, toothless man, is nicknamed Hercules, or even that a perfectly sane man shaves his back and howls at the moon.

Cherry Runs history and the subtle sense of detachment among its community members gradually come into focus, but the emphasis is always on the individuals captured at pivotal moments in their lives,
moments that define who they are and who they will become. Through their unadorned voices, we hear the heartbreaking tenderness as well as the disgrace of an extramarital affair. We find poetic justice and
even humor in the instigation of a brutal fight between two bullies. The punishment of a Peeping Tom borders on erotic; the disorientation of an elderly couple lost in a snowstorm is bitter-sweet and enlightening.

With unwavering insight, Drayer embraces the nuances of small town America and isnt shy about showing us all sides of the story.

Book Description
Welcome to Cherry Run, Pennsylvania, the epitome of a blink and youll miss it American town where the jobs are dead-end, the ultimate dream is hitting the lottery, and the only apparent escape is
drinking at the Ruffled Grouse. In story-like chapters, Strip Cuts captures Cherry Run's residents in their most private and defining moments.

Often humorous and always sincere, Drayer's debut novel presents a unique and memorable look at the heartache and hope of a small town, where the land and the people have been stripped bare for all to see.

About the Author
David Drayer is a native of western Pennsylvania. He earned a BA from the University of Pittsburgh and an MFA from the University of Iowa. He wrote, performed, and toured his one-man play, Call
of the Wolf: An Evening with Jack London and recently co-wrote and starred in the independent film, Sammyville. David now lives in Los Angeles, California and is working on his second novel.