SPOILER. Don't read this before "The Farm Hand".
I've given it some more thought. Obviously the two stories are very different.
"The Farm Hand" is deeply satisfying, with its rich variety of characters conditioned by the unending struggle with the farm. It ends as a tragedy, with one of the main characters dead (Sven), one of them broken (Ralph), and the main one left desolate (Robert). Continuing the story from that point would seem almost indecent.
Instead, "The Redemption" is bleak, with only two main characters. Robert junior finds the rural world of his childhood in decline, with the local town crumbling into ruins. Yet the gradual understanding of his father's past shows him a degree of love which he has never experienced in his glittering television world. He becomes a more real person, even making the pilgrimage to Sven's grave with his father's ashes. The word "redemption" says it all.
Anyway, these stories have introduced me to Rick Beck's writing, which is about to give me a lot more pleasure.