Warm, sunny weather, sandy beaches, and the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. These may be a few things you conjure up when you think of Southern California. But in Kelly Sather’s award-winning collection of stories, Small in Real Life, she tells tales that show a much more gritty reality of the Golden State. Some of the characters in Small in Real Life work in show business, and others are wannabes drawn to the promise of fame and fortune of Hollywood. And other characters are living lives far from those tired, yet true tropes of California. And all of them are an interesting narrative to tell.
Small in Real Life starts out strong with The Spaniard. Jenny is just about to turn sixteen when she gets sick at school. Nobody is able to reach her parents, so she is given bus fare and goes back home via the RTD. Yes, Los Angeles has public transportation. When Jenny gets home a strange man is there with her mother. Due to this man’s European accent, Jenny deems him The Spaniard. Why is this man in their house? Why is Jenny’s mother being so coy? Is The Spaniard and her mother having an affair? Jenny infers that they are, and she believes she can blackmail her mother into buying her a car for her upcoming 16th birthday, and if not, Jenny will tattle to her father about her mother’s dalliance with The Spaniard. But Jenny’s mother remains unfazed. Will this transgression be the end of Jenny’s parents’ marriage?
Betrayal is also a theme in Handbag Parade. Stephanie and Carol often meet at the home of their mutual friend, Gia. Gia is in the last throes of ALS; her tragic death is imminent. All three of them met early in their careers working low-level jobs at a Hollywood agency. Not one of them became an agent, but Gia found the most success of them all, and now she’s trapped in a frozen body. Stephanie begins to steal Gia’s collection of high end designer hand bags, and thusly, blames Gia’s nurse, Esme, for the thievery, putting Esme’s vocation on the line. Stephanie betrays a friend and bears false witness against an innocent woman. Handbag Parade show truly conveys how friendship can tragically lead to heartbreak and disloyalty.
In God’s Work an LA judge somehow ends up on a date with a failed actress turned make-up artist. The way this judge describes this woman you can tell he thinks she’s beneath him. He speaks disdainfully of her low-cut sweater and clumped up mascara. But is this an actual date or something quite else when the judge makes a startling confession, and somehow thinks him being a judge may be in her favor. But will it?
So many of the stories that make up Small In Real Life are gripping portraying people from all walks of life going through their day to day activities in the Golden State. Some get close to the glittering images Hollywood promises, but never quite grab that brass ring. Others are in the gallows. And then there are those who revel in the underbelly.
Small In Real Life made me think of the Hollywood sign. It looms over the land in large capital letters. It seems to promise fame and fortune and glamour. But closer and you’ll probably see decay, graffiti, and litter strewn about showing the true messiness and disappointment of real life.
When it comes to reading and writing book reviews, I do have several genres I am drawn towards again and again. I like to read novels and memoirs. I like to read about various subjects from pop culture to politics and fashion to food. But it is rare that I read science fiction or about religion. And it’s even more rare when I read a book that crosses the genres of science fiction and religion. Perhaps that is why I was drawn to reading Nancy Joie Wilkie’s book Faraway and Forever: More Stories, a book that combines both science fiction and the issues of faith and Christianity. Reading and reviewing this book would get me out of my comfort zone.
Faraway and Forever: More Stories, is more than a collection of short stories. It is a collection of novelettes. In the opening novelette, “Once Upon a Helix,” the protagonist, Gunther Trent is the head of a program in search of extraterrestrial life. Unfortunately, Gunther is in a field that isn’t exactly popular. After being told by his assistant about a possible message beyond planet Earth, Gunther has a by chance meeting with a biologist named Catherine Arkette. Catherine has discovered former unknown nucleotide. Through this meeting both Gunther and Catherine find out their discoveries are actually related.
In the second novellette, “The Goldfire Project,” Edwards is dying of pancreatic cancer. But he is desperate to find a way to “live” despite being near death’s door. To live beyond his death, Edwards trying uploading his conscience into a computer. Through this, he meets Goldfire. Despite being artificial intelligence, Goldfire wants to experience what it’s like to be in Heaven. Edwards learns of Goldfire’s loneliness of being a mere computer. And he decides to backtrack on his treatment, and vows to bring Golffire back with him.
My favorite novelette, is probably the third installment, “Half the Sky.” In this novelette, Madison Mills is about to turn eighteen and leave the orphanage, which has raised her since she was very young. Madison lives on a planet called Prox. One side of of Prox, faces the sun, and the other side is in darkness. Madison’s father was from the sun side and her mother was from the shade side. Through a nun at the orphanage, Madison finds out her parents are still alive. Madison goes on a journey to find her parents and to seek out the reasons why they left her in an orphanage. Madison meets her mother, and the reunion does not go well. As for Madison’s father? Madison questions if it is worth to find him to learn more about her and her parents’ past.
The fourth novelette is called “Wishbringer.” In “Wishbringer,” a reporter named Jonathan visits another world where he meets a unique farmer who instead of planting corn or tomatoes, plants and harvests people’s wishes. Jonathan decides to plant a wish. However, the outcome doesn’t exactly meet Jonathan’s standards, and he’s desperate to undo this wish of his. Yes, be careful what you wish for; you just might get it.”
The final novelette is called “The Last Sunday of Summer. ” Summer is not the season, she is the protagonist who lives on the colony planet Solus II. The Catholic church is no longer as powerful when a new religion based on gossip that a new Christ is to revisit the old Earth. This new religion apparently has a much different gospel. A nun is murdered when she gets involved over a religious text. It is up to Summer to deliver the religious text to Vatican Prime, the text being hearsay on Solus II.
Wilkie’s stories are intriguing and thoughtful. I definitely kept thinking about these characters and their situations long after I finished reading the novelettes. And I liked the way Wilkie was able to combine both science and religion, especially in a time when both topics are considered to be diametrically opposed. I believe Faraway and Forever: More Stories is an ideal book for people who are interested in worlds beyond their scope and how it can combine with faith.
In Danielle Lazarin’s collection of short stories Back Talk, she writes of girls and women dealing with shattered families and disrupted relations, and the various trials and tribulations familiar to many of us whether its death, divorce, growing up, or learning to navigate this confusing world.
In the opening story “Appetite,” young Claudia is dealing with the death of her mother to cancer, her father’s grief, her sister coming home from college, and falling in love. It’s so much for Claudia to deal with and Lazarin is sensitive to this young girl’s plight.
In the following chapter, “Floor Plans” two women, one with a failing marriage and one newly pregnant form an odd friendship as one tries to take over the other’s apartment.
Back Talk also offers tales of the danger that can surround women and those they love. In “Hide and Seek,” a mother moves from the city to the suburbs thinking her daughters will be safe only to realize danger is every where. And in the story “Gone” two young girls keep a running list of dead girls only to have it discovered by a parent, who is not pleased.
The loss of a wife and mother is deeply felt in the “Dinosaur.” A young widower tries to cope with his grief and bonds with the teenage girl who babysits his son. He tries to offer advice when it comes to her boyfriend. Will she take it?
Desire both given and received are found in stories like “American Men in Paris I Did Not Love” and “Landscape No. 27.” And the tangled concept of family are expertly portrayed in “Second Chance Family” and “Spider Legs” where young women deal with pregnant sisters, half-siblings, lackluster jobs, and potential romances with older men.
Back Talk is written in what I call a subtle and quite style. The stories are more about showcasing a slice of life, not thrilled plots with a definite beginning, middle, and end. A majority of the stories are several pages long, but some are much less than that (like the title story), and they don’t really grab you. And some readers may be put off by characters who for the most part are white and upper middles class. However, most of Lazarin’s stories are interesting and at times, relatable. If you’re looking for a quick read, you’ll probably enjoy Back Talk.
Having written reviews of two of his earlier works, I was delighted when Mathias B. Freese reached out to me to read and review his latest book Again. Again and Again: Awakening into Awareness-Essays and Stories.
Again. Again and Again is filled with Freese’s mindful and thought-provoking musings on a multitude of topics that often focus on recurrent ideas and themes. This book is divided into three parts and encompasses both essays and stories where a certain man named Matt is the main character. Among these themes include life, death, culture, schooling, love, and one’s place in the universe.
Several of Freese’s works stand out to me. In “Vade Mecum,” Freese behooves his students to think in a deeper level by assigning them a writing exercise about the contents of their refrigerators. Hmm, who knew you could find meaning amongst the milk, leftovers, and condiments?
In “Raymonde,” a young woman describes what it’s like to be in a concentration camp during World War II. She talks about the atrocities in an almost flat affect that is unnerving. Yet, I wonder if this is done as a survival mechanism.
In “Talking to Stellar Root,” Freese writes about the talks with his late wife, the beloved Nina. Ever talking about the minutiae of his daily life comforts Freese. Perhaps Nina is listening somewhere.
And in, “Cro-Magnon,” Freese offers this notable quote, “I don’t think about the future. I don’t think about the past. One is long gone, the other out there where I am not.” This reminds us that instead of obsessing over the past and wondering about the future, we must live in the here and now.
As usual, Freese’s writing is elegant and profound. Again. Again and Again is not a book that merely entertains; it also makes you think. Freese behooves the reader to always be learning and growing no matter your age.
Things Happen by Christopher Acker is a collection of short stories. Hmm, maybe a collection of novellas is a better description. The four tales in Things Happen are a bit longer than an average short story, and in Things Happen, well, things happens, some good, some bad, and all of them are quite compelling.
In the opening story, “Now You See Him, Now You Don’t,” the widowed Dinah is dealing with the tragic death of her teenage son due to a magic trick gone horribly wrong. Her husband passed away not too long ago, and now she’s dealing with another devastating death. As Dinah copes with the loss of her son, she wonders if a Google Maps car is erasing his entire memory.
In “Lady, You Shot Me,” Michelle is a struggling actress who’s just gotten a part as a prostitute in a Sam Cooke biopic. Just as she thinks her acting career is about to take off, a black man is killed by a Los Angeles police officer. Michelle gets caught up in the aftermath of protests, riots, and violence. She also gets entangled with her co-star. All of this affects her in various ways.
Brandon makes miniature replicas, and he’s quite successful. And it turns out to be more than a hobby in the story, “The Salazar House of Horrors.” He is commissioned to build a replica of Enrique Salazar’s home where Mr. Salazar allegedly committed many crimes including kidnapping, rape, battery, and murder. The horrors of the Salazar house haunt both Brandon and his family.
The final story is, “Thank You, Mr. Povich, For All You Do.” This story features a journalist named Alexander who has seen better days. Once at the top of his game when it comes to his career, he is now completely disgraced. He spends his days, not writing, but watching TV and grappling with depression. And it doesn’t help his wife is an Oscar-winning documentary film maker. Feeling bitter and betrayed, Alexander concocts a scheme using The Maury Povich Show as a way to expose his wife, and possibly get back at her transgression. Things unfold in a very unusual and entertaining manner.
I liked all the stories. Acker writes characters that are fully-dimensional and relatable. The dialogue is sharp, and the stories keep you guessing until the final paragraphs. My favorite is probably “Lady, You Shot Me.” It had a final twist that was quite bonkers, yet spoke of the craziness of show business.
Things Happen is an excellent collection. I’m looking forward to future stories from Christopher Acker.
When we think of California we often think of beaches, surfing, and getting a tan. Or maybe we think of show business, Hollywood, and glamour. Perhaps we think of the Real Housewives of both the OC and of Beverly Hills. And we can’t forget the California of Silicon Valley or the cable cars of San Francisco.
California is a place to escape for many people, but it isn’t always a place where one finds fame and riches. And these tales are told in Linda Feyder’s book All’s Fair: And Other California Stories.
A majority of characters in All’s Fair are not California natives. They are transplants from places like Mexico and New York. They all seeks lives they believe are promised by California. But are they achieving their dreams or are their lives just like the ones they left?
All’s Fair begins with a story of the same name. A woman named Joyce has just moved to California with her husband Louis. She hopes the dry desert air will help him with his health issues. While attending to her husband she befriends a young albino boy named Brian. It is through Brian she learns more about bigotry and the hate some people receive just for being different.
In the tale “Joint Custody,” a young girl named Emily is spending the summer with her father in a small California town while her mother is doing business overseas. A New York City kid, Emily not only has to deal with a place so different from home, she also has to come to terms with her father dating a much younger woman.
In “Robbie Released,” Isabel is on pins and needles. Her loser brother, Robbie, has been released from prison. Isabel anxiously awaits his return. Will Robbie figure out that Isabel turned him in? And what will happen if he does know of Isabel’s “betrayal?”
In the story “Blind Date,” a man spends an awkward evening with a young woman while pining for two women from his past. He seems to be more into these long-gone ladies than he is with the woman sitting across from him.
All’s Fair isn’t a book filled with a lot of action. Instead, these are mostly stories of reflection in a singular moment in the characters’ lives. Many of them are looking inward, looking back and asking, “What if?” and “What does life have in store for me?” They may not be the glamorous stars of mythical Hollywood, but they are very real. All of the characters are in search of something. If you’re looking for a book with a lot of introspection, you just might like All’s Fair: And Other California Stories.
On the hunt for something to tickle my funny bone, I was happy to read Libby Marshall’s collection of short stories Penny Pinching Tips for the Morally Bankrupt and Other Stories.
Penny Pinching has much more than short stories. It’s also a collection of short vignettes and odd bits of prose.
In the first story, Penny Pinching Tips for the Morally Bankrupt, Marshall gives us pointers on how to save our precious pennies. The penny pinching tips are absurd, and a few are damn near criminal. Some made me laugh, and some made me clutch my figurative pearls.
In Makeout Point, Our heroine goes on the weirdest date. Instead of a night of kissing, she has adventures that are off the wall like the chance to kill Henry Kissinger.
Marshall becomes a bit more contemplative in the story Signs. In this story a women is forewarned of her emotions, feelings, and desires through signs only she can see.
Other stories include one about an elderly serial killer, one woman who gets romantically involved with Dracula, and a Chuck E. Cheese haunted by the ghost of the late Princess Diana.
The stories are goofy, twisted, poignant, and contemplative. Marshall has an oddball sense of humor, but at times, very thoughtful. Herbrand of humor isn’t for everyone, but if you’re looking for something different, you’ll want to read Penny Pinching Tips for the Morally Bankrupt.
Not too long ago, the lovely people from Eventbrite burned up some cyberspace and contacted me on writing about my ideal book panel discussion featuring my favorite authors and/or characters. I Googled Eventbrite to see if it was legit or not. Looking pretty darn legit, I quickly contacted them and said I’d love to do it, just give me some time to figure out what authors and/or characters I’d like to have on my panel.
Saying yes to this project was the easy part…coming up with authors and characters was quite another. There are so many authors and characters I adore and nearly worship. I would need a round table as large as Lambeau Field to house them all. What authors and characters do I pick? There are times when just picking out what earrings to wear on a particular day is a monumental task.
First I decided to pick authors only. And then I decided the authors would all be women. This is no slap at the male authors I adore or men in general. It’s just four authors popped into my lady brain and they just happened to be women.
Dorothy Parker
Judy Blume
Caitlin Moran
Roxane Gay
What else does a panel discussion need? Well, moderators, of course! We can’t let this discussion run amok, right? Now who would I choose to moderate (well, besides me, of course). I immediately thought of my favorite journalist, Bill Moyers, a lovely gentleman whose curious, thoughtful and empathetic interviewing style would be perfect for this panel and our sure to be scintillating discussion.
Afterward the panel discussion I’d host a post-discussion casual meet and greet for the authors and the audience. I’ll even bring snacks.
Following are the principle players in the Book Self’s First Women of Words: A Celebration (and Potluck).
Moderators: Bill Moyers-see pic (and me, of course)
Audience: Men and women who love to read (and maybe even write). I’d pretty much invite fellow bookworms who have a mad love of the written word.
Special VIPs: My mom who got me to read in the first place and introduced me to the wonders of libraries and book stores. My friends, both in my off-line universe, and those I adore via the Internet. They include long-time friends Nora and Elaine Takagi, Jen Locke, Rosie Blythe, Cobalt Stargazer and Tari. I chose these ladies because they are talented writers who have written guest reviews at both my blogs, have blogs themselves and are just incredibly talented writers as a whole.
As for the potluck I’m providing post-discussion and during the meet and greet? Well, I’d offer various types of cookies and brownies, including my treasured sugar mint cookies and dark chocolate brownies with a sea salt caramel glaze, chocolate chip cake, zesty pretzels, various chips and dips including my goat cheese dip, veggie with dill dip, guacamole, hummus and salsa, fruit and veggie platters, a tasty cheese plate with homemade crackers, and various liquid refreshments including my mom’s Brandy Smash.
As I mentioned, I selected four distinct ladies of letters-Judy Blume, Dorothy Parker, Roxane Gay and Caitlin Moran. The following are reasons why I want them on my panel:
How could I not have my discussion and not feature Judy Blume? When I was a mere lass feeling like a 4th grade nothing, battered by bullying, confused by puberty, and vowing to never name my future male offspring Ralph, Judy was the Man…I mean Woman!!! Whereas other writers wrote about tweens and teens in a way that were both saccharine and unrealistic, Judy wrote about the adolescent experience in realistic ways, which never sugarcoated the issues we faced whether it was getting our periods, sex and masturbation, schoolyard bullying, family strife, religion and social issues. She knew these distinct moments in our lives were of monumental importance and treated the topics and her readers with so much respect.
No panel discussion of mine would be complete with the ghost of Dorothy Parker, whose poetry continues to inspire me. However, I must admit I was initially not a fan of Parker’s. I first heard of Parker when, as an insecure, bespectacled pre-teen, I read her line saying, “Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses.” Stomping in my Nike sneakers, I thought to myself, “What a mean lady!” But it wasn’t long before I realized the Divine Dorothy was just being snarky and probably pitying those men who didn’t quite get the erotic allure of a girl in glasses. I’m now a huge fan of Parker’s and I consider her to be the patron saint of all witty women too smart for their damn good. How could I not invite her to Women of Words.? You know she’d have plenty to say, and she’d love the Brandy Smash!
Then there are two of my favorite writers I have recently grown to appreciate who are not only fabulous writers, but who are also very proud to claim the word feminist. These women are Roxane Gay and Caitlin Moran. Both of these women write about the female experience, with clarity, wisdom and richness fully capturing the beauty and ugliness of what it means to be a female in the 21st century. Both Bay and Caitlin have written non-fiction and fictional books that are near and dear to my heart. Both Gay’s collection of short stories in Difficult Women and Moran’s novel How to Build a Girl received rave reviews by the Book Self. And their individual collection of essays, Bad Feminist and Moranifesto are two feminist-minded must-reads.
This discussion could also be a way for Gay to promote her memoir Hunger, which chronicles her experience as a survivor of a gang rape and how it led her to using food as an escape, comfort and shield. Interestingly enough, in Moranifesto Moran tells men two things they need to know about women one is we fear them, that they will hurt us physically, sexually, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. This topic alone could make for a very intriguing and mind-blowing discussion.
However, I want this to be so much more! So even though I want this to be a free floating discussion of writing, I also have some questions Moyers and I could throw out to the panel. They are as follows:
What did they read when they were little girls and why?
When did they start to write and why? What did they write? Who are their favorite authors and books from their girlhood to today? Who are these authors and books and authors their favorites?
When did they realize writing was their vocation?
What inspires them to write?
Describe their version of writer’s block. How do they cope with writer’s block?
Describe the good, bad and the ugly of being writers, especially women writers.
Describe what it is like to write non-fiction, fiction, poetry, journalistic features, and so on, both the similarities and the differences.
What is the one book they wish they wrote?
Discuss their future plans.
Advice for writers.
After the panel discussion we’d have a Q & A session where the audience gets to ask the panel their own questions.
Later, we’d sum up the occasion with a casual meet and greet/potluck. However, we’d have to tell Dorothy Parker she has to smoke outside and keep her from bogarting the Brandy Smash.
I must admit I had fun writing this and I’m so happy Eventbrite asked me to be a part of this. I also realized there is so much I want to discuss with these ladies that it might take up more than one session. We could make this a week-end event!
Eventbrite offers great book-related events all over. If you ‘d like to find a book event near you check out this registration online tool.
I became a fan of Roxane Gay when I first saw her speak at Boswell Book Company about her book, the part memoir/part assortment of essays, Bad Feminist. Bad Feminist blew me away so when I found her latest release, a collection of short stories called Difficult Women, I just knew I had to read it. I hoped Gay’s singular voice in writing non-fiction would translate into writing fiction.
I am glad to say I am not disappointed. Gay is a writer who fully recognizes the complex lives of women’s truth, from the most of grand experiences to the tiny minutiae that make of their daily lives (and ours). Some live in impressive privilege and others dreary lives of poverty.
Difficult Women is made of 21 stories, dissimilar yet fully connected. The opening chapter “I Will Follow” is about two sisters who were abducted as children and experienced deplorable acts. The sisters’ past makes them eerily, yet touching connected well into adulthood as they follow each other all over the country. Even though these sisters (by society’s standards) should have staked out their own separate lives, I understood how this might be nearly impossible for them.
The title story “Difficult Women” Gay defines “loose,” “frigid,” “crazy” women along with mothers and dead girls through vividly written definitions and descriptions:
Just what does a loose woman see when she sees herself in a mirror? “Nothing. She doesn’t look. She doesn’t need to. She knows exactly who she is.”
Where does a frigid women go at night? “There are places for people with secrets and she has secrets, so many of them that sometimes they threaten to choke her. She goes to the places for people with secrets for people with secrets and there she waits.”
What happens when crazy women snap? “She is sitting at her desk, working late, when her boss hulks his way into her office, sitting too close, on the edge of her desk, taking up space in the way men do. He stares down her blouse and it’s the presumption in the way he doesn’t hide his interest that makes her hold the sharp letter opener in the cool of her hand.”
As for mothers? Well, mothers can only be described in their roles as mothers on from what she sees in her child’s face to how she loves.
Dead girls, you are now wondering? What about them? Well, they are dead. How do you define them? Are they more interesting? Do you find them beautiful?
Another story I adored is Gay’s fable-like “Requiem for a Glass Heart.” In this story the wife is made entirely of glass, her husband is fully-human. The glass wife is smooth, hairless, and transparent. Day after day she takes care of child also made of glass. The husband has matted chest hair and calloused hands who earns his money as a stone thrower. He also has a mistress on the side, one made fully of flesh and blood. Does the glass wife know about the mistress? She just might. Perhaps being made of glass doesn’t quite this woman as transparent as she may initially seem….
Other stories are complete stand-outs—“North Country,” “Bad Priest,” and “Best Features” quickly come to mind. But to be honest, every single story in Difficult Women is so remarkable that choosing a favorite is quite, well, difficult.
As I came to Difficult Women’s close, I found myself not only thinking of Gay’s voice as a visionary writer, but how these stories played out like mini-movies in my mind’s eye. Difficult Women would make for a great TV series, perhaps all the stories adapted by female screenwriters and directed by female directors. Or maybe in an interesting twist, some stories adapted by male screen writers and directed by male directors.
But alas, Difficult Women is for now, is a book, one I implore difficult women everywhere (and the beguiled men who love them) to read.
In the mood to read a collection of short stories rather than read a full-length novel, book of essays or work of non-fiction, I chanced upon Kathleen Collins’ small volume of stories Whatever Happened to Interracial Love at my local library. The book I held my hand was small and I figured it wouldn’t take much time to read it and therefore, I could quickly churn out another review in a short amount of time.
And yes, it didn’t take me long to read Collins work, only a few days given my personal and professional schedule. However, it did take me time to digest each and every story, which is probably why it took me some time to write this review. I found each of the stories invading my bloodstream and taking up space in my brain, heart and soul. Whatever Happened to Interracial Love made me look at some very thorny topics regarding race, gender, class, education, sex, money, and artistic expression. Sometimes reading is there just as entertainment, nothing wrong at that. But often reading is about learning and questioning the very society and culture we live in.
While reading Whatever Happened to Interracial Love I asked myself, “Just who is this Kathleen Collins? How come I never heard of her until I picked up her book?”
Kathleen Collins was born in 1942. She was educated at Skidmore and worked as a film maker and artist. Her film “Losing Ground” came out in 1982 focusing on the life of a black female professor navigating the shifty waters of academia and her marriage to a volatile, passionate artist who has his own demons to contend with. This forces the female protagonist to question her own choices and inspires her go on a journey to find her own version of ecstasy. This sounds like my kind of film and I can probably find it via the Internet for a nominal price.
However, it is Whatever Happened to Interracial Love that I must concentrate on, a book that was discovered recently and published last year, nearly 30 years Collins died of cancer.
It is 1963 in the title story and about two roommates living in New York City, one black, one white. The white roommate is a Sarah Lawrence graduate and works as a community organizer in Harlem. Her lover is a black poet. The other roommate is black and madly in love with a white Freedom Rider. She also spent time in jail while protesting down south.
Both roommates have to deal with the backlash of not quite fitting into the firm ideals of how they should conduct themselves as women and how their behavior might be unbecoming towards their separate race, and much of this comes from family members. They also find themselves questioning their choices both personally and politically.
Interracial love is also beautifully conveyed in “The Happy Family.” In this story a white man becomes acquainted with a loving black family while attending a civil rights rally while attending a church. He can’t help but be drawn to this particular family. His own family was severely dysfunctional and his new friends are kind, warm and inviting, everything his family is not. Plus, he is drawn to their intellectual ways and their commitment to social justice. He ends up falling in love one of the daughters and romance blooms between the young lovers. You can only hope that this romance will deepen and grow during a time of racial injustice and intricate family dynamics.
Getting below the surface and finding out the uncomfortable truth is the narrative of “The Uncle.” In this story a young girl is absolutely besotted with her handsome uncle and beautiful aunt. They seem to have the perfect marriage, one this young girl hopes to have herself. But as she gets to know them more and more, she soon learns of something isn’t quite right about the marriage, which makes them teeter on the pedestal she placed them upon.
So many stories in Whatever Happened to Interracial Love are linked by the themes of love, learning, questioning one’s choices and the choices of others during the rich tapestry of the civil rights movement.
Collins stories are more character-driven than plot-driven, and each character is written so full of richness and depth that I felt I knew these characters. At times their experiences resonated with me and sometimes they were very foreign, but no matter what, they were always compelling. Often I wondered about them after I finished a chapter. What did the future hold for these people?
Whatever Happened to Interracial love shows rather than tells. Collins delivers these short stories in visual elements that are quite striking, which must be due to her experience as a film maker.
Whatever Happened to Interracial Love is another book that stayed with long after I finished it. And it saddens me Collins died long before her book was published and before she could bless us with more of her work both on celluloid and on the written page.
I became a fan of Roxane Gay when I first saw her speak at 
In the mood to read a collection of short stories rather than read a full-length novel, book of essays or work of non-fiction, I chanced upon Kathleen Collins’ small volume of stories Whatever Happened to Interracial Love at my local library. The book I held my hand was small and I figured it wouldn’t take much time to read it and therefore, I could quickly churn out another review in a short amount of time.
thebookselfblog 