The Lives of Kelvin Fletcher: Stories Mostly Short

A boy's coming of age is documented in The Lives of Kelvin Fletcher, a collection of short stories from novelist and poet Miller Williams (Some Jazz a While: Collected Poems), who read at President Clinton's second inauguration. Religious guilt, racism and sexual awakening are underlying themes in the first seven linked stories, which are set in the mid-20th century. The scenarios are familiar Kelvin's mother makes him destroy a litter of rats; he gets caught peeping into the girls' locker room; a friend drowns; he loses his virginity. ""Coley's War,"" the novella that ends the collection, is a surprising departure. Kelvin's idealistic college friend has gotten involved in revolutionary Central American politics. Kelvin and two other friends na vely follow Coley to Mexico, where they stumble into a terrifying world of violence, sex, corruption and political strife. Williams's wistful, lyrical prose adds dimension to the early stories, though he wisely shifts gears for the novella, employing a more gritty and direct style.