jenknox's Reviews (494)

Michael Onofrey explores the geographies of both land and mind in his new novel Bewilderment. The protagonist is propelled by a visceral mixture of curiosity and confusion that, ultimately, forces him to confront his longing to connect. Bewilderment is an accomplished and witty novel that examines the line drawn between individual perception and the larger reality, then provides its reader permission to blur the line in order to take it all in.  (I was happy to blurb this one - a very enjoyable read.)

I teach short fiction. For that reason, for better or worse, I'm always reading for the teachable, the lines that will show students the weight of language. Dickinson seems to write line after line of teachable prose, her each sentence a microcosm that, when examined with curious eyes, is a keyhole into the greater tale. As an example, her openings sing out with the vivid imagery and immediately compelling narrative we strive for as writers: "Twirling my white-blonde hair, I was making a cobweb in the refrigerated dark of the Rouge Room" from Rane puzzles the reader in all the right ways, creating an image just open enough to engage and just specific enough to entertain. Or, "I'm barmaiding again tonight, carrying six empty long-neck beer bottles, and my apron pocket overflows with soggy napkins" from "When the Snow Leopard Stalks the River is another of the 11 examples in the book (there are 11 stories). Even the titles themselves hold layers of beauty and meaning (The Village of Butterflies, Watch the Flashlight Girls Run).
A moving and dynamic short story collection is not something that should be easily summarized, and Dickinson's is not. Her characters are alive on the page, and their journeys are as vivid and puzzling as real life. Read this and everything else the author writes. She's an important voice in contemporary literature.

In this book, I attempt to capture those pivotal moments that we (powerful word, we, I know) can all look back on in our lives; those moments that prove that sometimes the small decisions lead to the most monumental transitions. Stories and narrative essays from this collection have been published in Annalemma, Bananafish, Flashquake, Superstition Review, and elsewhere.

Some of the stories:

In “Soft like Snow”, a young girl thinks about running away from an abusive home, but as she reflects upon her current circumstances, her past reminds her of her abuser's humanity and why she's stayed until now. In “Untied”, a husband and wife are facing bankruptcy. They’re frustrated, and each is seduced, in a way, to give up on each other and move on—but it is the smaller decisions and interactions that determine the outcome of their family.

I purchased this book from the publisher because I have long admired Sam Rasnake, whose work I first found on Fictionaut (an online literary community). I remember rereading the poems I came across with his name attached because in each of these poems I found something that can only be described as transcendent. In all of the poetry I've read by this author, I've felt as though I were writing the works I was reading because they felt so universally true, so much about the collective nature of art and not the individualistic nature of seeking recognition for art. Rasnake does not write for his audience, he writes his audience. He writes in deep admiration of the cinematic arts, and he illuminates these films as a result. This is a beautiful work, truly. I have been recommending this book everywhere I go.

Tina Barry's Beautiful Raft, provides a gorgeously rendered glimpse into the enigmatic lives of UK artist Jean McNeil and her mother, Virginia Haggard. These poems and interludes examine not only the deep complexities of a family but also the interplay between art and society. Beyond Barry's probing portrayal is an examination of the concept of artistic mastery and what it takes to both create and be seen in the world.