The first thing I want to clear up about this book is the author. The book is written by one person, and his name is Nana Kwame(first name) Adjei-Brenyah (last name). He can write some truly haunting stories, and he has here.
This makes the 11th book I have read on "The New York Times 100 Most Notable Books Of 2018 List."
"The Finklestein Five" was my favorite, showing how violence begets violence, offering a reworking of the story of the four little Black girls killed in a church in Birmingham, Alabama, back on September 15, 1963. "The Hospital Where" shows the horrors of medical institutions to everyone, and minorities in particular, And "Lark Street" depicts a couple haunted by the fetuses of the expectant twins they aborted. Huh, you say? Well, believe me, darlings, it works.
These stories get under the reader's skin. Yet one cannot turn away, because the writing is so compelling. This debut is probably the short story collection of the year, and it is a shame The Times did put it on their Ten Best list.
Had I more room, I might have included it on mine. And this from someone more partial to sprawling narratives than short stories.
An unforgettable debut demanding attention, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment