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.
thebookselfblog 