"it is sticks out here"

Question

This excerpt belongs to the short story "Feathers", contained in 'Cathedral' by Raymond Carver.

We turned right like the map said and drove exactly three and three-tenths miles. On the left side of the road, I saw a field of corn, a mailbox, and a long, graveled driveway. At the end of the driveway, back in some trees, stood a house with a front porch. There was a chimey on the houses. But it was summer, so, of course, no smoke rose frome the chimney. But I thought it was a pretty picture, and I said so to Fran. “It’s the sticks out here,” she said.

“It’s the sticks out here” I wonder if this response (nuance) means it's indeed attract attention or it's just country house (sarcastic remarks).

Answer 1

In your title you have missed the word "the". That is critical.

"The sticks" is an idiom meaning "a remote rural location. It usually has a negative connotation. Fran doesn't like the area because it is too far from the city.