Hambeth's Fine Furniture is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded by Duncan Hambeth, with stores across the South. His wife, Gertie, is having an affair with Duncan's brother, Claude. When Gertie and Claude kill Duncan and take over the company, Duncan and Gertie's son, Junior, seeks revenge.
Excerpt
Live or die; that's the big one. Is it smarter to put up with this world's shit day-in and day-out or become a Disgruntled Postal Worker and, after mowing everyone down, kill yourself? To die. Hell, to sleep! That's all-- and by sleeping put a stop to all the heartache and the thousand little aches and pains that come with being human. What I'd give to die! To sleep. If I could just dream! But that's the big stumbling block, because what you'll dream when you shuck off your body gives all of us "the Willies." It's the fear that turns a long life into a tragedy. Because who would put up with the wrinkles of time, your boss screwing you over, an asshole's arrogance, falling in love with someone who's never going to love you back, the government dragging its feet, politicians thinking you owe them something, and being nice to customers who don't deserve it, when you can do yourself in with an ordinary kitchen knife? Who'd do it, to grunt and sweat under a life that doesn't add up to a hill of beans, if they weren't afraid of what came after it? And would we put up with the devil we know instead of the devil we don't know if that "Undiscovered Country" didn't scare us, just a little bit? So, conscience makes cowards out of all of us. All the bright red of our anger turns into a pukey pink by our own fears. And all of our big dreams of breaking out turn sideways and go nowhere.
