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I Hate To See That Evening Sun Go Down: Collected Stories Audiobook
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(4.02) - 576 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Author William Gay is the winner of the 1999 William Peden Award and the 1999 James A. Michener Memorial Prize. In his debut collection, Gay brings to life 13 stories about a diverse group of colorful characters living in the fertile Tennessee country land.
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"William Gay is a fantastic writer. How I hadn't heard of him before is baffling, but I'm glad I know of him now & can read more of his work. Hopefully it'll be just as good as this because this was one of the best short story collections I've ever read. That the writing is so amazing & the stories so riveting & pretty much flawless is what enabled me to ignore that they all shared something else in common: they were really dark, sometimes twisted, often bordering on creepy and always, always heartbreaking. This, surprisingly, doesn't take from the wonderfulness that is William Gay. The first story stole my heart. The Paperhanger broke it. Most gave me chills. And perhaps the most telling thing of all: I remember each and every story in this collection even though it's been about a month since I finished the book & I've read many books after it. It's not easy to write short stories & have them be as good as novels & have them be memorable & have them matter. I think William Gay achieved all this in this collection & I hope I love his other work just as much."
— Rose (5 out of 5 stars)
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“William Gay is richly gifted: a seemingly effortless storyteller…a writer of prose that’s fiercecly wrought, pungent in detail yet poetic in the most welcome sense.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Gay captivates with bristling tales of old men, bootleggers, and wife-beaters in rural Tennessee…His prose is as natural and pure as it comes.”
— Newsweek -
“Gay’s characters come right up and bite you…[His] well-chosen words propel the reader straight through his thirteen stories.”
— Denver Post -
“Writers like Flannery O’Connor or William Faulkner would welcome Gay as their peer for getting characters so entangled in the roots of a family tree.”
— Minneapolis Star Tribune -
“After two stunning novels that combined the esoteric language of Cormac McCarthy with the subtle humor of Larry Brown, Gay delivers a concise craft work in his first short-story collection…Much in the same way that Erskine Caldwell created slice-of-life Southern stories that were full of humor, conflict, and even forbidden sensuality many years ago, so now does William Gay.”
— Oregonian -
“Gay confirms his place in the Southern fiction pantheon…A fine showcase for Gay’s imaginative talent.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“[Gay] brings to these stories the same astounding talent that earned his novels, The Long Home and Provinces of Night, a devoted following…[A] consistently excellent collection.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“As charming as it is wise. Hellfire—in all the right ways.”
— Kirkus Reviews
I Hate To See That Evening Sun Go Down Listener Reviews
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" Every one's a hit. Harrowing, brilliant, funny. Awfully good. "
— Bruce, 2/19/2014 -
" Had to take this one slow, only one story at a time interspersed with some lighter subject reading. Even though this author reminded me heavily of Cormac McCarthy, who I did not enjoy, this one I definitely wanted to keep reading. Thanks to my friend Steve for this recommendation ! "
— Beth, 2/9/2014 -
" William Gay is one of my favorite writers. His gift for language is astounding. "
— Melissa, 2/9/2014 -
" Gay's stories, like his novels, are atmospheric, dark, and deeply satisfying. It's the voice, though, that grabs. AFter one paragraph you know you are in the hands of an assured, confident writer. In addition to a formidable vocabulary (stygian?) he reinvents language, creates compounds that make poetic sense : hearthammer, foldup, halfbent. Later, more dashes appear to legitimize his creations, which is a shame, but what can you do? If kittens, rainbows and bloodless murder mysteries are your favorite things, steer clear of this southern gothic writer who shrinks from nothing. "The Paperhanger" in particular, is not for the faint of heart. "
— Irene, 2/5/2014 -
" Beautiful stories that layer on top of each other as you continue to read through the collection. "
— Lily, 1/27/2014 -
" Some of his stories are slight and feel sort of hasty. But when he's on the mark, (eg The Paperhanger) he'll haunt your dreams. "
— Ryan, 1/26/2014 -
" You need to read this collection. Cause I told you to. Do it. Now. Now, darn it. "
— Stephanie, 1/20/2014 -
" You can read my thoughts here. (3.5/5) "
— Joy, 12/29/2013 -
" Stories of people in the south, their bad choices and the consequences. Each so affecting I feel I have to take a break between reading them. "
— Dawn, 12/28/2013 -
" Very good creepy short stories "
— Dsinglet, 12/27/2013 -
" William Gay's writing is thick with meaning, images, and emotion. The best of Southern Gothic writing. "
— Robert, 12/18/2013 -
" Better than Faulkner's short stories in a lot of ways. "
— David, 12/13/2013 -
" Masterful short story collection. Southern tales of the creepy and the cruel - "The Paperhanger" is gorgeously written though its chill is difficult to shake, even years after reading it. "
— Monica, 12/9/2013 -
" One of the best collections of short stories I've ever read. Whenever I read his work I want to leave everything and move down to Tenn. or Kentucky and drive around in a blue pick up truck. Gay is a man that knows how to write beautiful stories of lives falling apart. "
— Erik, 11/21/2013 -
" Even his weaker stories are gorgeous for the language and imagery and his disturbing perspective on the world. "
— Laurie, 11/10/2013 -
" Great collection. Gay's writing lived up to all I'd heard about it. Looking forward to reading the rest of his work. "
— Casey, 7/24/2013 -
" I'm giving up now. The fifth story was also murder, evil and people lost to the world. I'll give it 3 stars because of the quality of the writing, but it's too dark for me. "
— Diane, 5/10/2013 -
" I loved these stories, the vivid color of the scenes, the characters took you through the moments of their lives, into their techniques for solving the problems that they are struggling through. "
— Kossiwa, 3/23/2013 -
" very strong collection and some of these stories are amazing. a great way to wade into william gay... i did enjoy the novels more. maybe because his character development is so rich and the longer form allows more time to explore. "
— Mark, 2/15/2013 -
" Southern Gothic at its best. "
— Matthew, 1/26/2013 -
" He is compared to Flannery O'Conner a lot and I can see why, and I'd just rather read her I guess. Some good realist stories set in the south with twist endings. Only read the first three stories and that was enough for me. "
— K, 3/31/2012 -
" I read this because the author lives in Hohenwald, where I live. He is a very dark writer. These stories are lighter than his novel, but someone dies in every one. "
— Peggy, 3/28/2012 -
" Excellent and I will read anything written by Mr. Gay "
— Eric, 3/15/2012 -
" Really glad I gave William Gay a second chance. While I wasn't a fan of TWILIGHT, this collection of stories demonstrates a stylistic restraint that enhances the reading experience. I am slowly being converted by this writer. "
— Charles, 2/29/2012 -
" All of these stories are well executed, but Gay has a very finite list of themes and dramatic devices. I love William Gay, but all of these stories in a row start to blend together. And most end in death. So. "
— Ben, 1/7/2012 -
" These stories can be a little dark, but well written "
— Carola, 12/20/2011 -
" William Gay is a brilliant writer. This collection of stories is wonderful. "
— Dwight, 5/9/2011 -
" amazing writer with a bit of southern gothic - The Paperhanger is harrowing... "
— Geoffrey, 4/10/2011 -
" These stories can be a little dark, but well written "
— Carola, 4/10/2011 -
" I've read about 3 of the stories in this book so far and I am totally smitten. He's amazing - how is it that I was unaware of him until only recently? Where was I? Good thing my husband bought me all of his books for my birthday! "
— Haverly, 12/17/2010 -
" Really glad I gave William Gay a second chance. While I wasn't a fan of TWILIGHT, this collection of stories demonstrates a stylistic restraint that enhances the reading experience. I am slowly being converted by this writer. "
— Charles, 12/15/2010 -
" Gay's brilliant Southern Gothic stories are haunting. Nowhere but in a Gay anthology would you find a story like "The Paperhanger." I was entranced by the lurid characters, the helplessness of some, and the immediate southern voice they all shared. "
— Joshua, 9/27/2010 -
" I loved these stories, the vivid color of the scenes, the characters took you through the moments of their lives, into their techniques for solving the problems that they are struggling through. "
— Kossiwa, 6/12/2010 -
" Great collection. Gay's writing lived up to all I'd heard about it. Looking forward to reading the rest of his work. "
— Casey, 5/23/2010 -
" amazing writer with a bit of southern gothic - The Paperhanger is harrowing... "
— Geoffrey, 3/21/2010 -
" Excellent and I will read anything written by Mr. Gay "
— Eric, 2/11/2010 -
" While I loved his storytelling ability I just walked away feeling like I was under a dark, dark cloud. "
— Tiamoyo, 10/9/2009 -
" One of the best collections of short stories I've ever read. Whenever I read his work I want to leave everything and move down to Tenn. or Kentucky and drive around in a blue pick up truck. Gay is a man that knows how to write beautiful stories of lives falling apart. "
— Erik, 7/1/2009 -
" So good. I love a depraved protagonist or (since this is short stories) *many* depraved protagonists. Favorite story is "The Paperhanger." "
— Lori, 5/11/2009
About William Gay
William Gay is the author of the novel The Long Home. His short stories have appeared in Harper’s, Atlantic Monthly, GQ, and New Stories from the South 1999 and 2000. He was awarded the 1999 William Peden Award and the 2000 James A. Michener Memorial Prize.
About the Narrators
Cristine McMurdo-Wallis has appeared on stages from Connecticut to Alaska. She appeared in the Seattle Shakespeare Theater and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She has also worked with the Alaska Repertory Theater, the Seattle Repertory Theater, and the Capital Repertory Theater in Albany, New York. Cristine’s film credits include The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and American Heart, with Jeff Bridges. She lives in New York City.
Pete Bradbury has appeared both on and off-Broadway and at many of the leading regional theaters across the country in plays ranging from Shakespeare and Molière to Edward Albee and David Mamet. He has also been seen on the CBS miniseries Sally Hemings. A former company member of the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, Bradbury received his training in their three-year advanced program. He lives in New York City with his family.
Richard Ferrone recorded over 150 audiobooks including thrillers, romances, science fiction, and inspirational novels. He won the prestigious Audie Award and was a finalist for four Audie Awards, including for Best Solo Male Narrator. He was named an AudioFile "Voice of the Last Century" and a "Rising and Shining Star." He earned many AudioFile Earphones Awards, including being named the 2011 Best Voice in Mystery and Suspense as well as the 2009 Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy. A science fiction fan, he narrated Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy. He also narrated works by James Patterson, Walter Mosley, John Sandford, Eric Van Lustbader, and Stuart Woods.
Tom Stechschulte (1948–2021) was an acclaimed narrator and winner of the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He had been a college athlete and business major when a friend dared him to audition for a play. He got the part and traded the locker room for the dressing room, eventually taking him to New York City and to recording audiobooks.
Tavia Gilbert is an acclaimed narrator of more than four hundred full-cast and multivoice audiobooks for virtually every publisher in the industry. Named the 2018 Voice of Choice by Booklist magazine, she is also winner of the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. She has earned numerous Earphones Awards, a Voice Arts Award, and a Listen-Up Award. Audible.com has named her a Genre-Defining Narrator: Master of Memoir. In addition to voice acting, she is an accomplished producer, singer, and theater actor. She is also a producer, singer, photographer, and a writer, as well as the cofounder of a feminist publishing company, Animal Mineral.