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).