Buffalo ’99 by Chris Stucchio

In Buffalo ’99, Chris Stucchio has created a moody, hard-boiled world in which punk rock, cocaine, and sleeping around are a way of life.

Miles Sterling, the narrator, opens the story nonchalantly with his infidelity, setting the tone for the rest of the book. There is Vanessa, the caring and a little too attached girlfriend. And then Taylor, the rambunctious babe who flirts and knows how to use it.

The narrator has a way of speaking reminiscent of Philip Marlowe, but with more sex and less crime. The voice is powerfully visceral, constructing a narrator that you love to hate. In this novella, vice is rife and working hard is for squares.

The downside of Stucchio’s narrative is the lack of depth in the characters, especially the remorseless Miles. The reader could have used more backstory to understand who he was, and some more exploration of the people in his life, such as the influence of his criminal father, which could have made the story a little richer.

Overall, this short novella is edited well and packs a hard punch, as was clearly intended. Buffalo ‘99 is a shot of bourbon at a dive bar, not a glass of champagne at the Ritz – and all the better for it.

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