Everyone has their list of favorite characters in the books they've read. I have a new favorite near the top of my list in Sammy Barlach (not a nickname: "My ma named me Sammy. It's what's on my birth certificate"). As with most of Woodrell's books, this is a story of the other side of the tracks, and Sammy isn't bitter about his station in life, nor does he harbor any false notions of becoming anything better. As he is welcomed in by Jamalee and her brother, Sammy is their partner in petty crime. What I like about his character is that he is always ready to defend these people he hardly knows, even to the death of him or others, because they have accepted him for what he is: a lovable loser. No more, no less.
