Reviewed by: Keith Nixon
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words
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Author:
Eddie Stack’s
work has appeared in a number of collections and anthologies. He has also
published a novel, but he specializes in writing short stories and to date
published three collections. He teaches at UC Berkeley, California.
You can
learn more about the author at his website.
Description:
Twelve
short stories recounting the experiences of his native Irish people at home and
abroad.
Appraisal:
This is an
interesting collection of quirky stories where the setting switches between
Ireland and the US. What remains constant are the characters of Irish descent, snapshots
of people’s lives where we drop in and drop out of the action with no preamble.
There are
three very strong aspects to Stack’s writing. There’s the dry sense of humour
that cuts through all the shorts. When the narrative asks for a suspension of disbelief
(e.g. a talking donkey) his writing makes it believable. Second are the
characters, the Irish nature remains strong whatever the setting. Finally is
the dialogue which encompasses both the above points.
None of the
twelve stories are weak, although there are several highlights. In Jackass Blues, a donkey wanders into
town and hangs around, watching television until the owner gets fed up and
wants the donkey gone. It takes refuge in a church but is eventually captured.
Later it seems as if the donkey can talk…
Here’s an
example of the writing from the opening paragraph:
During that slow, dark time between
New Year and Lent, a black ass sauntered into town. Sleek as a seal, it had the
fine features of a thoroughbred and moved gracefully through the streets with a
confidence that its working class brethren lack.
The next
story is Back in the Days of Corncrakes
about a Guinness advert being filmed in a small Irish village. Some locals are
roped in to act, but get drunk on free alcohol. It’s well written and funny.
In the
final story Out of the Blue a couple
from either side of the Atlantic who each believed the other dead are reunited
after forty years.
This is a
very well written, drily witty collection of short stories that will puzzle you
and entertain you. The snapshot element of some of the stories may leave some
readers wanting to know more, but this is quality writing.
FYI:
Nothing of
note.
Format/Typo Issues:
A couple of
layout errors, but nothing significant.
Rating: **** 4 Stars
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