Bravado, dread and denial as oil-price collapse hits the American fracking heartland

There is no one voice, one narrative, that speaks for the Bakken oil region of North Dakota. Some there are optimistic, some pessimistic, some whistling in the dark. Everyone understands a storm is coming, but how ferocious will it be and how tenacious will they be? A week of phone conversations revealed a mixture of strong nerves, bravado, anxiety, dread – and sometimes a pretty good sense of humor.