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Category: Short Stories

Review: Ugly to Start With by John Michael Cummings

[ 2 ] April 13, 2012

Reviewed by Joanne Reynolds

Jason is a young boy growing up in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. It is a tourist attraction and the entire town is filled with little souvenir shops. Jason lives right in the center of all of these shops, but his father is an extreme junk collector. Their yard is filled with countless “treasures” that his father believes are valuable and reusable.

Jason is a very artistic, sensitive youngest child and very different from his father, so their relationship is tenuous. His father has a supreme dislike of black people, tourists and just about anyone who doesn’t share his opinions.

Ugly to Start With is comprised of different short stories about Jason’s life. The reader is along for the ride as he learns of the town’s wanting to purchase his family’s home for historic reasons, his becoming involved with an older man, his falling in love with a girl of African-American descent and his love of art. The stories are well-rounded and pull you into the heart of Jason, who is just a young boy trying to do what he loves.

There was only one chapter that made me cringe a little. The chapter with the older man seemed creepy and I was quite disturbed by the predatory nature of the man. Otherwise the stories were interesting and made me root for Jason and hope that he would make it beyond the small town prejudicial nature of his surroundings.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Joanne has always been an avid reader and loves the ability to lose herself in someone else’s life for the time that it takes to read about it. She has a huge admiration for authors and the worlds that they create for us. She enjoys reading to her granddaughters and hopes that they take up the love of reading.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by John Michael Cummings. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Drifting House by Krys Lee

[ 14 ] February 7, 2012

Reviewed by Marcus Hammond

“Immigrants. Not here nor there, not this or that. Indeterminate and silenced.” – “The Believer,” by Krys Lee

The nine short stories presented by Krys Lee in Drifting House represent shadows of people who once had an identity, but are lost in political, social, and/or personal chaos. Lee’s stories paint a picture of a quagmire of suffering inflicted by and on a cast of Korean characters that represent everyone from immigrants in America, North Korean refugees in various locations, as well as newlyweds, divorcees, and the young and old alike. Each story is beautifully composed and painfully vivid in portraying the physical and mental anguish of each character. This is so prevalent throughout the stories that it becomes exhausting to experience as a helpless witness.

In “At the Edge of the World” a nine year old Korean/Chinese boy witnesses the pain and disruption that his mother and stepfather’s experience in North Korea, and that they carry with them to the United States. The story is written from the young boy’s perspective and captures the innocent imagination and lack of focus that one would except from such a character. While his stepfather suffers from the loss of his brother, and his mother tries to reject all Korean customs for their new American ones, Mark is more worried about ruling the world alongside his first crush who lives next door.

Many of the stories throughout the collection represent the theme of loss; the loss of a mother, of a daughter, of innocence and identity. The title story follows three orphans as they try to survive in the North Korean winter. Their mother left them to starve for the possible security of China. The orphans try to follow, but find the wilderness and heavily armed North Korean border guards to be too much to overcome. The story does an amazing job of capturing the insecurity of these young orphans and the horrible desperation that is a major part of the Korean heritage.

At points, the horrible situations portrayed are so miserable and desperate that the reader may want to stop reading. The underlying need of each character to find both an identity and security connects to an intense desire to see the character through to the end. Though these are not feel good stories, they do bring to light moments that should be further illuminated throughout the world.

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Enter to win a copy of Drifting House here

After obtaining a Masters in Liberal Arts and Literature Marcus has dedicated most of his time to teaching English Composition for a community college in the Midwest. In his down time, he spends time avidly reading an eclectic selection of books and doing freelance writing whenever he gets the chance. He lives in Kansas with his wife.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Viking Adult. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Outlaw Album by Daniel Woodrell

[ 6 ] November 15, 2011

Reviewed by Marcus Hammond

Daniel Woodrell’s The Outlaw Album is a collection of 12 short stories that offer a desolate investigation of individuals residing on society’s fringe. The characters throughout do not represent feel good heroes or heroines, but those who struggle to cope with what their environment has provided for them. Throughout the collection Woodrell focuses on the grittiness of society. He explores many themes, which include the consequences of war, both past and present; and the effects of sexual abuse, poverty, and traumatic loss.

Woodrell makes no apologies for the actions of his characters. In “Uncle,” one of the more gritty and unrepentant stories in the collection, a young girl grows tired of her uncle’s sexual abuse. After being raped and witnessing other rapes performed by her uncle, the young girl violently and unremorsefully paralyzes the man with a pickaxe. She is then forced by her mother to tend to him. She embarks on a mission to make him suffer for his transgressions until eventually taking steps to enact her final revenge upon him.

Another pinnacle from the collection includes “Night Stand.” The story investigates the psychological damage both past and current wars create, as a young war veteran breaks into the home of a veteran from a past war. The story centers around the lack of understanding civilians have for soldiers either returning from war or those dealing with the trauma from past conflicts.

Woodrell does an amazing job of maintaining a connection to society’s dark and actively dismissed dilemmas. At points, however, his writing style slows to a painful crawl and becomes experimental and distracting. “The Horse in Our History” employs a writing style that relies on first hand oral transcriptions of an event and first person narration that tries to connect the past to the present. While interesting, the stylistic choice breaks the momentum created throughout the preceding stories and may distract the reader from noticing the story’s connection to the collection’s overall theme.

While all of the stories investigate a gritty truthfulness that we all would like to hide from, Woodrell’s meticulous attention to the psychology of his characters and their surrounding environment makes for a culturally significant addition to our literary heritage.

Rating: 3.5/5

After obtaining a Masters in Liberal Arts and Literature Marcus has dedicated most of his time to teaching English Composition for a community college in the Midwest. In his down time, he spends time avidly reading an eclectic selection of books and doing freelance writing whenever he gets the chance. He lives in Kansas with his wife.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Little, Brown and Company. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Red Velvet and Absinthe by Mitzi Szereto

[ 6 ] October 21, 2011

Reviewed by Nina Longfield

Red Velvet and Absinthe is a well chosen collection of modern paranormal erotic short stories. Although not my typical choice in short story collections, I was curious to see how well the Gothic themes mixed with the erotic and paranormal. I wanted to know if the stories were subtle or overt. Editor and writer Mitzi Szereto chose the stories, skillfully pulling together a whole collection yet allowing each story to maintain a unique voice.

I was not disappointed in the mix of paranormal creatures that blended well within the context of the Gothic atmosphere. There is the taming of a newly turned beast in “Snowlight, Moonlight” by Rose de Fer. “A Rose In the Willow Garden” by Elizabeth Daniels is both disturbing and engaging as the predator easily becomes the prey. One of my favorite stories in this collection, “Cover Him With Darkness” by Janine Ashbless, investigates the common world myth of god/titan/angel chained for all eternity. The collection holds a seductress in a painting, a vampire who stars in a hit television series, a doll made from scraps and wax, and the list of oddities continues. Some of the stories become more bizarre and others just hint at the paranormal.

The stories within Red Velvet and Absinthe are all alike in that the protagonist or antagonist is something otherworldly. And the females in these stories all seem to have strong willful characters. Yet each story is different and unique in the characters, the settings, and the written styles.

Red Velvet and Absinthe is a rather overtly erotic collection of stories, some more so than others. However, all are well written and engaging. Despite being a quick read, many of the stories have lingered long after the page has turned.

Rating: 4/5

Nina Longfield is a writer living in Oregon’s fertile wine country. When she is not reading or writing in her spare time, Nina enjoys hiking in the hills surrounding her cabin.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Mitzi Szereto. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Stories for the Nighttime and Some For the Day by Ben Loory

[ 5 ] August 15, 2011

Reviewed by Leigh Adamkiewicz

If you’ve ever read under the covers at night, you know how a simple story can become an adventure. with the flashlight barely lighting the pages, and the certainty that you should have been asleep hours ago, every line turns into a stolen pleasure. The night air seems to crawl in under the covers to join you, painting simple words with layers of meaning.

Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day captures that under-the-covers feeling perfectly. It’s a compilation of surreal modern fairy tales that makes you feel like you are reading under the covers again.

The regular cast of characters reads like a Jhonen Vasquez comic. Nameless man, Nameless Woman, Boy, Girl, Alien, Moose, Severed Head, Goose-sized Stone, God. But from the templates of characters who are both someone and no one, complex stories are formed. Tales are told in lilting fairy-tale tones as the currents of a dark, drowning reality roar underfoot.

Every fairy tale has dark woods from which there is no escape. But these stories hold a darkness we know and live with every day. A darkness familiar to anyone who has ever asked who they are and what their place in the world actually is. Of course we know the boogey man. We see him in the mirror everyday.

That isn’t to say that there aren’t violent ends fitting of a fairy tale. This isn’t a psychological story, a puzzle of the mind. Blood, transformations, the walking dead, death out for a walk, and people simply disappearing happens around every corner. There is the danger of running into half-ton wildlife while sky diving.

But there is never a lack of hope, of potential, of possibility in any of the tales that are told. You want to see where the path through the dark woods goes. You want to see where the tale is taking you.

I know this review may seem ambivalent or flighty because I don’t seem to be describing plots, story structure, or a single thread that ties everything together. That’s because there isn’t one. Why would there be? What could be more entertaining than a book of Fairy Tales that Hunter S. Thompson could have story-boarded? Each and every tale is its own self contained nugget of how ordinary lives can fall screaming down the rabbit hole at break neck speed. Why would you need anything more?

Aside from childhood favorites – or books that I’ve had and kept for decades at a time – I can’t think of another book that has begged to be picked up again as often as this one has. I’ve certainly had the privilege of reading some fantastic books while reviewing for Luxury Reading – Yours Ever, Either You’re In or You’re In the Way, and Original Sinners have all been particular favorites.

But I can honestly say Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day still calls to me – days or weeks after the last time I put it down. I highly recommend you pick up your version today. Covers and a flashlight optional.

Rating: 4.5/5

Leigh is a fearless writer who never met a genre, subject, or format she didn’t like. She has written professionally for the past six years and enjoys biking, exploring odd corners of Northeast Ohio, and discovering those good books she hasn’t read yet.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Penguin. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Brighter Graphite by Michael Horvath

[ 7 ] July 30, 2011

Reviewed by Lauren Kirk

Brighter Graphite, by Michael Horvath, is comprised of two novellas, both with dark undertones and dry humor. I somewhat noticed the dry humor in the Graphite section of the book, but a lot was lost on me in Brighter. The interesting fact about this book was that the two novellas had very different writing styles. Graphite was easy to follow, the plot unfolded nicely as it continued on, there was never a dull moment, and Horvath wrapped up the story nicely at the end.

With Brighter, I could not maintain my focus, there were large chunks of punctuation accentuating the action (or lack thereof), the story seemed choppy, and I was honestly a little unsure about what was happening throughout. In Graphite, the main character was an enjoyable art snob on a mission, with a dry sense of humor, but I did not feel that there was one character in Brighter that I even had the desire to follow.

In Graphite, an artist embarks on a mission to the town of Graphite to find out why his favorite expensive pencils break after every use. The pilgrimage is one full of small adventures for the man. I don’t recall that his first name was ever mentioned, but every detail of his meals, his view, his laundry were. Usually, I do not enjoy overly descriptive stories, but this level of intense description of the mundane was perfect for the man and his character.

Upon arriving in Graphite, he notes that everything is covered in graphite dust and he is given a tour of the factory in which his precious pencils are made. No answer can be found as to why they are breaking upon use. However, he does not give up, and rather stumbles onto the reason that the lead is not up to par. He takes the matter into his own hands and commits violent actions to correct the problem. The violence is fleeting, and his discovery is easy to miss; I needed to go back and reread some pages to discover the answer. The conclusion, while morbid like I mentioned, is almost comical because the man is so devoted to ensuring that his precious pencils will not break and that they can be used by all.

I would be lying if I said I was not completely lost in Brighter. I was very disappointed, especially after really enjoying the first novella. I felt as if Horvath shifted his focus and tried to do too much in a short amount of space. I think the story would have worked much better with minimal characters and action. It was almost as if there was too much going on, even if the text itself was rather sparse.

Essentially, Brighter focuses on the world of art dealers who are in an uproar because the economy has crumbled. Things turn violent, panic sets in, and darkness prevails over all in the industry. As factions of artists and dealers get entangled in the mess, Jano Gambon, and artist/dealer who acts as the narrator, fills in the reader.

In spite of not enjoying Brighter as much as Graphite, I would like to read more from Horvath if it is written in the same style that Graphite was. For fans of dark novellas and even graphic novel enthusiasts, this book would most likely be enjoyable all the way through.

Rating: 2.5/5

Lauren Kirk is a graduate student, freelance writer, wine lover, and avid reader. Random musings can be found over at www.goldiesays.com.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Tatra Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Death Is Not an Option by Suzanne Rivecca

[ 7 ] July 10, 2011

Reviewed by Caitlin Busch

I nearly knew what I was getting into when I picked up Death Is Not an Option. The book’s synopsis and jacket agreed we would explore “a world where sexuality and self-delusion collide.” In fact, it delves deep into the psyche and pushes the imagination beyond where some readers may want to go. At times, the text pulled me in so far that I struggled to remember Death was about “a” world, not “the” world. It is a testament to the author’s craftsmanship to say I was carried away, despite my efforts to the contrary.

That is not to say it was a pleasant read! No story in this collection is able to see innocence; in fact, none make the attempt. Rivecca has a great ability, but writes with an unmistakable edge. (Take, for example, her open letter to Anne Lamott.) She has no reservations about exposing the jealous and futile world which Death inhabits. That she makes no apology may immediately alienate or overpower the reader. It would be no surprise to learn the stories in her debut fiction collection came in part (or wholly) from Rivecca’s own experiences working in social services or elsewhere in her personal life.

Every selection in Death Is Not an Option explores the expanse of imagination and its effects on the human psyche. The different narrators are inner-directed or stunted in some way, so they compensate through various modes of story-telling and manipulation. Each must find escape or face their lies, whether competing with or outgrowing old friends, perfecting emotional dismissal or coming to terms with bitterness and the desire for validation. The reader who pays close attention to Death’s secondary characters will be rewarded with a clearer picture of reality.

Then there’s the particularly raw subject matter in the selection titled “Very Special Victims.” Some readers may find the overt treatment of incest and pedophilia unsettling; admittedly, I was neither pleased nor surprised when it finally came up. I did appreciate Rivecca’s subsequent truth-seeking as she explored the changes a family must make when sexual abuse is uncovered. She adroitly revisited the breadth and depth of imagination in her descriptions of the brutal cycles of chicken-and-egg faced by a now-grown victim of abuse.

Critically speaking, Rivecca should be honored for digging deeply and putting her discoveries to page with such conviction. Her technical talents are obvious in close reading – and that’s just the trouble with Death Is Not an Option! I certainly wouldn’t recommend this book to an average reader. Someone whose casual reading list includes Beloved or As the Crow Flies may be better equipped to deal with Rivecca’s creation than one who leans toward Jane Austen or Jane Green. This book will push you well beyond your comfort zone… Proceed with caution!

Rating: 4/5

Caitlin is a fiction writer who also dabbles in poetry, creative nonfiction and acrylic painting. When not reading, she enjoys hiking, cooking and spending time with friends and pets. She earned her B.A. in English from the University of Portland and currently resides in Louisiana.

Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by W. W. Norton & Company. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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