A Dozen Truths: 12 Works of Fiction. Lou Aronica (editor)
and Aaron Brown (editor). The Story Plant. March 2017. 230 pp. ISBN #: 9781611882513.
Truth
is redeeming but may not always lead a person where he or she imagined. The short stories within these pages, three
of which won first short story awards, deal with perceptions of reality that startle
the reader. The collection begins with “Join”
by Eric Andersson in which a young man’s grief over his pet which becomes
obsessive voices in his head that haunt his days and nights, increasing on an
evening that should have been a break from his seclusion to join his long-neglected
friends. The end of the story has a shockingly
eerie, Ray Bradbury quality that is unforgettable. In Marcia Gloster’s “Losing Will,” a young
woman knows her boss is a “lady’s man” who hits on every woman who works for
him only this is not just a love ‘em and lose ‘em scenario; payback is probable
and darn uncomfortable (tongue in cheek).
“Howard
and Pablo” by Earl Javorsky pulls two of the most incomparable characters
together – Howard Hughes and Pablo Casals.
Hughes is rich enough to get whatever he wants and he wants the
passionate music of Casals, but neither is ready for what emerges from the
initial demand. In “Ollie” by Carmen
Siegers, what gives that a child is more upset about the cat who has
disappeared than the fact that the parents announce they are getting divorced?
My
favorite story, “Lost” by Steven Manchester, is from the novel Ashes about two estranged brothers who
travel together on a long trip and truly get to know each other in ways they
never knew. It’s funny, poignant and
life-changing!
Many
of these stories seem to be about “loss,” losing which is part of every life,
but often being of our own making rather than arbitrary events. It’s about affecting events rather than only
being a victim of events. This reviewer
can truly say that all of these writers have great skill. The reader is also provided with introductory
sections to each story where one reads the biography, related works and
thoughts about the thoughts behind each story.
Great
contemporary fiction that this reviewer highly recommends!
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