Book Review: Chicago Bound

Chicago Bound. Sandra Colbert. McIver Publishing, 2015, Trade Paperback, 136 pages.

Reviewed by Christine Collins Cacciatore.

My new review is for Chicago Bound, a book of short stories by Sandy Colbert. Short stories you say? I’m there. I love short stories! From the start, I was interested in reading a book that I knew was a long time in the making from an author I know personally. Sandy is the past President of InPrint Writers Organization and has been writing short stories for a long time. This is her first book of short stories but I’m betting it certainly won’t be her last.

As they are short stories, there is no main character. No matter, though, because the characters within her stories spring to life enough to sustain the entire telling. The author does a good job of making you feel something as you’re turning the pages. Some of the stories are gritty, sad, and somewhat depressing. As you would expect, those feelings linger long after you put the book down. 

One of my favorites is the story The Confession. The main character, Gramps, is vividly drawn. Readers can picture the old man in their mind’s eye. He’s talking to his grandson about the war and about his first wife, Barbara, whom he lovingly refers to as a whore. Read the rest of the story to find out how that conversation went over with the teenager.

A Mother’s Day was another story that I thoroughly enjoyed, mostly because in the scheme of things it had a relatively happy ending. Happy endings are not very common in Sandy’s book of stories; the people she’s writing about are sad, unhappy people going through terrible experiences. In addition, although most of the stories are gloomy, they’re powerful and provocative; she makes them seem like real people going through real things and as most people know, life just isn’t happy all the time.

Doris and the Kids is about a little girl who believes her paper doll possesses miraculous superhero powers and is able to transform into a powerful champion for people in need. Since I tend to read supernatural type stories, I almost prepared myself for Paper Doll Doris to actually save people and the young girl would prove it to her family. Although that didn’t happen (darn it) I liked the ending; it suited the tone of the story and really, it couldn’t have ended in a more perfect way.

Despite the fact that almost all of the stories are somewhat bleak, the characters within each story do exactly what they must. One story that doesn’t follow that rule is Anton’s Story. The reader is in the character’s mind, hearing him rationalize why he beats his family and drinks, so the ending was rather a surprise to me and will be to you, as well.

Chicago Bound is an enjoyable book. Readers of short stories, and particularly readers raised in Chicago, will enjoy this book. These stories are definitely the brainchild of someone raised in Chicago’s Back of the Yards and her credibility regarding the locale and the flavor of that area adds to the appeal. 

Book Review: Dating Down

Dating Down. Stefanie Lyons. Flux, April 8, 2015, Trade Paperback and Kindle, 312 pages.

Reviewed by Deanna Frances. 

Dating Down by Stefanie Lyons is a young adult realistic fiction novel written in a prose style that takes the point of view of an upper-middle-class Chicago teenager named Samantha Henderson. Dating Down is Lyon’s first novel and tells the story of Samantha’s relationship with an “unnamed college guy” called “X”.

The novel begins with Samantha’s first encounters with “X” at a local coffee shop where he works. The first few chapters also provide background information on Samantha, her friends, and family. The reader learns early that Samantha is known as an average high school “good girl” living in the middle of a political world while her father runs for public office. In the chaos of the election, taking care of her younger half-sister, and dealing with the death of her mother, Samantha turns to “X” as an adventurous escape from responsibility.

As Samantha’s relationship with “X” grows, she finds herself thrown into a world of college parties, alcohol, drugs, and rebellious behavior that is completely new to her. Samantha begins to believe that she can be “X’s” reason to become a more grounded person, and that pulls her good friends and family further away from her. Samantha struggles with her longing for being noticed by “X” and keeping her friends and family while realizing the perfect life that she has always had.

As a young adult reader, I truly enjoyed Dating Down. I’ve found that the prose writing style keeps young readers engaged, and that is exactly what this novel did for me. I was able to keep engaged in Samantha’s story with the lyrical prose style of writing. I also enjoyed the local setting of the story. It was easy for me to imagine the setting when Lyons described the Chicago area.

Samantha’s relatable teenage life was also a strong point. Young adult readers, like me, enjoy reading novels they can relate to, and this novel definitely hit that focal point. Samantha lives in a typical middle-class family and has relatable friends and family members. Being able to relate to Samantha as the main character in the story made the reading experience even more enjoyable.

The mystery of the unnamed boy “X” made this novel stand apart from other realistic fiction novels that I’ve read. Although many points of this novel are very clear and relatable, “X” adds mystery and rebellion to the story. His life seems to be completely opposite from Samantha’s, and that added an additional element of darkness which kept me engaged while I was reading.

Overall, I believe that Stefanie Lyons has created a wonderful first novel for young adult readers and fans of young adult realistic fiction. The relatable elements of the novel, and the lyrical prose writing style, keep readers engaged and interested in the story. I look forward to reading more from Stefanie Lyons in the future.

Book Review: Hellfire & Damnation III

Hellfire & Damnation III. Connie Corcoran Wilson. Amazon Digital Services, Inc., Trade Paperback and Kindle, 131 pages.

Reviewed by Jessica Cage.

Hellfire & Damnation III is a collection of short stories that take the reader through nine scenarios reflecting the nine circles of hell. Each story is set in a different time and place with different characters and backgrounds. These stories offer more than just entertainment; they offer a glimpse into the human psyche. In just a few pages, you come closer to understanding what drives people to do the things that will ultimately lead to their demise. Each stage of hell is represented: Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Avarice (one of my favorites), Wrath, the Violent, the Fraudulent, and, finally, Treachery. Each one is represented well in stories that play out like short films. There are only a few points where I feel the story could go further or delve a little deeper, but with the storytelling style that Connie has, it would have gone against the grain. All in all, I think this is a quick read that you will enjoy and will leave you thinking about the choices we make in our lives.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys thrills and maybe a few moments that will leave your skin crawling. 

Book Review: Square Affair

Square Affair. Timmothy J. Holt. Christine F. Anderson Publishing & Media, January 14, 2015, Trade Paperback and Kindle, 244 pages.

Reviewed by Sue Roupp.

Square Affair is a gripping story of a group of five closeted gay men, some married, finding each other in the small Illinois town of Dewers, “the heart of Lincoln land . . .” It is 1969 and they have been meeting on weekends and sometimes in the basement level courthouse men’s room for their sexual encounters. Now they have been arrested and are on trial.

The book introduces us to two women, Clara May and Frieda, who narrate the story. Then we are introduced to each of those involved in this situation and those individuals speak in their own voices in successive chapters. Together, these characters show us the conservative, insular character of Dewers, including the town square where people mingle and gossip.

Chicago is introduced as one of the men goes to the city for a good time occasionally. With the unveiling of the men’s homosexuality, we go deeper into each individual’s life. We see how the wives of the married men are dealing with this news, and how some blame the wives for their husbands becoming gay. A Time magazine article on homosexuality even calls men “deviant.”

We become involved in how friends, family, teachers, and others view the gay men. Author Holt portrays Dewers as a community with religious intolerance toward sex in general. “God didn’t like women to have sex with anyone but their husbands, and then only to get pregnant.”

There is some wonderful writing here. For example, after learning of her husband's sexual orientation, one wife says, “I’m flooded with emptiness where there used to be warmth.” In other passages, the men speak frankly to one another, finally able to connect with other gay men who since their teenage years or earlier knew they were gay but kept it a secret.

This is a good novel about 1960s small town society—all of the small town prejudices are on display but we get to know each person as a human being. Being human in this time period, facing a way of being that is not familiar, comes with a very complicated view of someone being gay. Square Affair shows us how old and cold ways of viewing gay people are not just the stereotypical gay-hating robotic reactions.

Rather, the author has given us characters with depth grappling with new information and trying to deal with that information because they know the individuals involved. A sophisticated look at a time and place, attitudes, acknowledgement, and each man’s acceptance of who he is under the most difficult of circumstances.  

Book Review: Lori

Lori. Charlene Wexler. Polgarus Studio and CreateSpace Independent Publishing, August 14, 2014, Trade Paperback and Kindle, 342 pages.

Reviewed by Ray Paul.

Lori, the story of Lori Weinberg Brill, is presented to the reader over a period of thirty years as she deals with her alcoholic husband, tries to understand her feelings of emotional abandonment by her mother, and is forced to deal with the death of her daughter from cancer. In addition, her reformed Jewish family background conflicts with the orthodox Jewish upbringing of her mother-in-law, resulting in a hatred that goes both ways. Lori is not friendless. Adele, her sister-in-law, is a true friend and constant understanding companion throughout Lori's many ups and downs. Her other friend, Rain, appears later in her life when Lori moves to Arizona. The fascinating thing about the storyline is that these apparently random connections are all tied to Lori's—and her family's—past, a past the author does not divulge until the very end of the story.

I found this rich story to be a great read from many perspectives. First, there is Lori, a sweet and loyal woman living in a minefield of dysfunction in her upscale community. There is the religious element that brings people together and at the same time separates them, and, not to be overlooked, there are the historical implications that brought mystery and resolution to Lori.

While I truly enjoyed Lori, I do have two issues with the writing. One issue is the vast number of characters, many who were not well developed and not easy to remember. The other is the author's use of a shifting omniscient point of view to describe her characters. I found it occasionally disconcerting to jump from the head of one character to another instead of letting me understand what is happening from Lori's viewpoint. Regardless of these points, Lori is a wonderful book and a great read.