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brennanlafaro 's review for:
Let's Play White
by Chesya Burke
One of my favorite ways to work through a collection is to sample a story every day, make it the first thing I read in the morning and think about it throughout the day. Right from the start, Burke’s collection offered quite a bit to monopolize my mind. I’m a sucker for a well-curated anthology/collection. A strong opening story goes a long way toward winning me over. Walter and the Three Legged King is that story. Burke seamlessly mixes surreal horror, lightly tinged with fantasy, and then drives the story to a very real place in a blatantly jarring manner. It’s easily one of the best stories in the collection.
Walter is followed by the one-two punch of Purse, a very suspenseful entry, and I Make People Do Bad Things, whose final lines made the hair on my arm stand up. It’s that good. My other favorite story here is Chocolate Park, an almost novelette length story told in three parts. Part one is heartbreaking and raw. The reader is allowed to feel everything the characters go through. By the time the story carries us along to part three, there are some engrossing supernatural and horror elements that bring the tale full circle.
He Who Takes the Pain Away is another vibrant entry, leaving us asking what is pain without suffering? It’s a big story. That’s the best way I can think to put it. Cue: Change is a very timely and poignant entry in the book, also a zombie story. I’d also add the first person narration worked nicely for me here.
Nearly half the book’s runtime belongs to the novella-length The Teachings and Redemption of Ms. Fannie Lou Mason. This story spans place, time, and belief. At its core, it is fantastical and Burke’s love for her titular character shines through. In addition to the main character, Iona and Leona, captured my attention and my investment. The care that went into crafting these two makes for a grand payoff at the story’s conclusion.
Let’s Play White contains eleven stories, but I only mentioned six, which is not entirely reminiscent of my reading experience. It implies that just over 50% of the collection resonated with me, and the other 45% glided by unnoticed, and this is not the case. Every day I started with a Burke story felt a little more full, a little more thoughtful, and I highly recommend these stories to any reader who enjoys depth of character and flashes of magic.
Walter is followed by the one-two punch of Purse, a very suspenseful entry, and I Make People Do Bad Things, whose final lines made the hair on my arm stand up. It’s that good. My other favorite story here is Chocolate Park, an almost novelette length story told in three parts. Part one is heartbreaking and raw. The reader is allowed to feel everything the characters go through. By the time the story carries us along to part three, there are some engrossing supernatural and horror elements that bring the tale full circle.
He Who Takes the Pain Away is another vibrant entry, leaving us asking what is pain without suffering? It’s a big story. That’s the best way I can think to put it. Cue: Change is a very timely and poignant entry in the book, also a zombie story. I’d also add the first person narration worked nicely for me here.
Nearly half the book’s runtime belongs to the novella-length The Teachings and Redemption of Ms. Fannie Lou Mason. This story spans place, time, and belief. At its core, it is fantastical and Burke’s love for her titular character shines through. In addition to the main character, Iona and Leona, captured my attention and my investment. The care that went into crafting these two makes for a grand payoff at the story’s conclusion.
Let’s Play White contains eleven stories, but I only mentioned six, which is not entirely reminiscent of my reading experience. It implies that just over 50% of the collection resonated with me, and the other 45% glided by unnoticed, and this is not the case. Every day I started with a Burke story felt a little more full, a little more thoughtful, and I highly recommend these stories to any reader who enjoys depth of character and flashes of magic.