We Were Flying to Chicago
Kevin Clouther. Black Balloon (Consortium, dist.), $14 trade paper (208p) ISBN 978-1-936787-15-9
Although uneven in quality, the 10 entries in Clouther’s debut collection all display a sure-handed grasp of craft. The first and last stories are the best. In the former, the title story, deft and subtle shifts of perspective among a group of young women lead to a well-earned concluding insight. Better still is the emotionally complex final selection, “Puritan Hotel, Barnstable,” about two brothers, Michael and Connor, dealing with Connor’s cancer treatment. The other stories are a mixed bag. “T-Bone Capone Loves the Lady Ace,” which also centers on the illness of a loved one—in this case, the sister of the narrator’s girlfriend—feels forced. “Isabelle and Colleen,” about a 13-year-old boy, his high-school-age brother, and his brother’s pregnant girlfriend, has some tender, memorable moments. “On The Highway Near Fairfield, Connecticut,” about two cousins on a road trip, looks at fate with a fresh eye. “The Third Prophet of Wyaconda,” concerning a messianic visitor to a small Iowa town, never quite achieves the right tone. Nonetheless, readers should find many of Clouther’s characters, even those in his less successful efforts, lingering in the mind afterward. (May)
Details
Reviewed on: 02/17/2014
Genre: Fiction
Open Ebook - 210 pages - 978-1-936787-16-6