Reviewed by Daniel James Sundahl One needs to note at the beginning a difference between historical authenticity and historicity. It would seem a paradox, for example, to argue that historical fiction is an unlikely melding, the history and fiction genres being critically apart. If, however, a novel’s plot takes place in a setting located in […]
April Read of the Month: “The Feathered Bone,” by Julie Cantrell
April 1, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Adele Annesi The Feathered Bone, by New York Times bestselling author Julie Cantrell, fuses poetic voice and unwavering honesty in a haunting tale of worst fears come true, best intentions gone horribly wrong, and a freedom that brings hope beyond this life. Set in New Orleans and rural Louisiana in the years involving […]
“The Grace of the Gingko,” by Michael Hardesty
March 29, 2016 by 1 Comment
Reviewed by Donna Meredith Given that 2.7 million grandparents are raising grandchildren in the United States, it’s surprising more fiction hasn’t explored those relationships. Michael Hardesty’s debut novel, The Grace of the Gingko (Old Stone Press, 2015), fills that gap with a heart-warming tale of one grandfather’s tender devotion, a story splashed liberally with humor […]
“Last Words of the Holy Ghost,” by Matt Cashion
March 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Daniel James Sundahl Matt Cashion’s short story collection, Last Words of the Holy Ghost, won the 2015 Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction, thus announcing a reputable voice in American writing. The twelve stories, however, circle around the more common elements in absurdist fiction: satire, dark humor, the abasement of reason. It’s […]
“The Marble Orchard,” by Alex Taylor
March 16, 2016 by 1 Comment
Reviewed by Jordan Murphy The Marble Orchard is author Alex Taylor’s first novel and second major work, alongside his 2010 collection of short stories, The Name of the Nearest River. The Marble Orchard tells the tale of Beam, a young Kentucky boy of nineteen who finds himself wrapped up in a tangle of family history […]
“Web of Water: Reflections on Life Along the Saluda & Reedy Rivers,” by John Lane with Photography by Tom Blagden, Clay Bolt, jon holloway, and Ben Geer Keys
March 10, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Daniel James Sundahl I recall from graduate school years a semester with Wallace Stegner; in an odd crossing of the ways, Paul Horgan came to visit and discuss his Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History. Stegner and Horgan were lionized in years past; likely the literary fame they once owned […]