Reviewed by: BigAl
Genre: Short Story Collection
Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words
Availability
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on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or
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Author:
“Kergan
Edwards-Stout is an award-winning author, whose debut novel, Songs for the New Depression, won the
2012 Next Generation Indie Book Award in the LGBTQ category, was shortlisted
for the Independent Literary Awards, and placed on four "Best Books of
2012" lists.”
For more,
visit Edwards-Stout’s website.
Description:
“In Gifts Not Yet Given, a warm and nuanced
collection of short stories, dreams are realized, hope is found, memories are
made, and life is treasured. Each is set around a holiday, from Halloween to
Memorial Day, Thanksgiving to Christmas, and the tales illuminate the small,
surprising, and pivotal moments in which personal awakenings occur and hearts
expand.”
Appraisal:
There isn’t
a lot to say about this collection that isn’t in the description other than to
say it lives up to its promise. Excellent, well written stories that evoke a
wide range of emotions from the reader. An example, and one of my favorites, is
the story call Festive Beaver, the
story of an elementary school boy who discovers talents and inclinations that
he doesn’t yet understand while helping put together a Mardi Gras celebration.
In many of
the stories, I found that I figured things out before they were fully revealed
or the story’s focal character discovered things on their own. This set the
stories up in such a way that I was pulling for the character, not only to
discover or learn what they needed to, but also to do so in the least painful
possible way. The ability to pull me into a short story as quickly and deeply
as these did is a talent I don’t see often in shorter works.
FYI:
Adult
language.
A few of
the stories have gay characters. If that makes you uncomfortable, this might
not be the book for you.
Format/Typo Issues:
No
significant issues
Rating: **** Five Stars
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