Fluid: Stories

Teasley follows up Heat Signature with a hodgepodge of quick sketches and brief profundity. “The Elephant Talker” concerns 19th-century Ruthie, of the Herero Tribe, who was taken “as a prize” by a German colonist in German South West Africa and gave birth to four of his children, whom she looks upon “as beings not of this plane, and her husband most assuredly not, either.” When men come to steal their crops, Ruthie calls upon Ndapewa, the matriarch elephant of a nearby herd and her “best confidante,” to save them. “The Hour of the Star,” which shares a title with the Clarice Lispector novel, details the discordant behaviors of a woman and her husband, who are “deluded enough to believe [they] are twin flames,” before revealing the couple has never married and have just reunited. In “I Met Someone,” the narrator dates an intense man from her mother’s church, who, shortly after they met, asked her “Have you ever been loved by someone who would die for you?” After they break up, she replies to his constant attempts to reconnect with “I met someone.” Teasley’s technique lacks finesse, with many stories settling for titillation rather than revelation. This compilation relies too heavily on work that would have been better left in the past. (Sept.)

Correction: An earlier version of this review misidentified the author’s previous book. The review has also been updated for clarity.