Before the adaptation, Denis Johnson's novella won the "O' Henry" and was a finalist for the Pulitzer for what critic Anthony Doerr hailed as an "American epic writ small." In episode 385, join writer Luke Elliott and filmmaker James Bailey as they explore Johnson's Hemingway-esque prose style, unpack the ambiguity of the supernatural, find meaning by letting go of the search for it, and discuss the dark history around the railroad's construction in the PNW. Join them again next week when they compare the novella to the film by Clint Bentley starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones!

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Luke Elliott

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James Bailey

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