Genre: Short
Story Collection
Description:
“Secrets. Money. Love. Death. Sometimes they’re hard to tell apart.
Four American Tales describes a world of hopes and fears on the far
side of the American Dream, in a quartet of evocative stories about love and
loss, struggle and ambition from the 1950s to the present day.
Wichega is an
atmospheric tale of childhood’s dreams and nightmares: when Sweet Pea and her
family move far away, is it really because her father has quit the Navy, or is
there something else going on – something to do with his new Oldsmobile and the
monster that lives in the pond out by the highway?
A Hundred
Ways to Live follows Nadine and Earle outside the Law as they
travel across the desert in search of the stolen money they hope will give them
a new life.
Ballbusters
on Parade is an unconventional parable of work in the sex industry: Mike is
persuaded by his girlfriend Yolanda to apply for a screen test. Success,
however, leads him in unexpected directions.
Uncle
Mort tells how a bequest gives rise to unforeseen problems. Helen and
Thomas are successful and happy New Yorkers. News of her uncle’s death opens up
the past and suddenly everything becomes uncertain – marriage, identity and
what to do with a tumbledown house that no one wants.
All four stories feature great female characters, powerful writing and
intriguing storylines – stories in which things happen and people change.”
Author:
A full-time writer and editor, Jack Messenger lives in the UK. He is
the author of one novel and multiple non-fiction books in addition to this
short story collection.
Appraisal:
Interesting characters and stories. In the foreword the author
indicates that one of his aims with the stories is to “provoke thought.” The
stories certainly did that with me. They have characters and storylines that
make you wonder, sometimes forcing you to read between the lines and, in doing
so, making the story your own since your interpretation will be different than
mine. A good, fast read.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues.
Rating: *****
Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 10-15,000 words
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