cover image The Queen of Puerto Rico and Other Stories: And Other Stories

The Queen of Puerto Rico and Other Stories: And Other Stories

Joe Frank. William Morrow & Company, $18 (175pp) ISBN 978-0-688-08765-4

Reading radio dramatist Frank's vivid collection of eight short works of fiction is like watching eight people take a wrong turn into a dark and threatening neighborhood. In this world, the consequences of an action or a chance encounter are always troubling and unsatisfying. ``Tell Me What to Do'' portrays an adulterous couple who cram an entire affair into one week, only to have their lives become empty and spiritless; in ``Fat Man,'' a kleptomaniac gains weight as insulation against his feelings; a couple's dinner conversation becomes more and more disturbing as the woman reveals herself in ``Date''; the title story chronicles a vacationing teenager's seduction by an older man in St. Thomas and the impact it has on the boy's life. Retreat and remembrance are key acts in these jarring, unsettling tales, most of which start with a wide-angle view of the world, then narrow everything down to unfeeling sex, mindless repetition of desultory actions,stet comma and death. Still, they provide little moments of recognition that make even the bleakest stories involving. Sharply observed and simply told, these are disquieting portraits of desire and unfulfillment. (Dec.)