Unrelenting is the term best applied to Kevin Canty’s second novel, Nine Below Zero. Not only does it describe the cold of a bleak Montana winter that serves as the story’s backdrop, but it is a dominant factor in the lives of its characters as well. In this portrayal of recovering drug-addict Marvin Deernose’s chance involvement with Senator Henry Niehart and his granddaughter Justine, Canty explores the role of choice in the face of unrelenting circumstances. In contrast to the freedom connoted by the expansive landscape that supports their physical existence, each character experiences a claustrophobic narrowing of psychological possibilities brought on by events of the past and present. Coupling such themes with an economy of language that compels the reader through the story, it is difficult to avoid comparison with Canty’s obvious literary ancestors, Carver and Hemingway. And, best of all, that comparison is a heartily favorable one.
An edited version of this review appeared in Library Journal.
