Book Report

Curves and Bends and Cars That Wont Come Fast
by Brian Fleming

This is the first collection of short stories I've read, despite my interest in writing them. I'm unable to think of an idea that provides any feeling of completion in two thousand words--and, I have nothing of interest to even start with.

But Brian Fleming showed me how it was done. 'Curves' is a collection of stories with one common theme: the search for happiness. Each story revealed a different character in a very different sort of journey, most of them left unhappy at the end of their exploration. The book opens with an incestuous story of three children left to their own devices during a long summer of hormones and lake-side talks--leaving a lasting impression and an incredibly high standard for all the following pages. Then there was the story of the slut who left her one-night stand alone in the apartment, then, after returning to find him gone and the place untouched, emptied the house herself and dumped every possession on the curb out front. There were stories of fathers and sons, lovers and fighters, all of varying race, religion and temperament. Each was unique, each felt authentic and lived, and for each, the pain was real.

Morals and lessons are not spelled out in this book. As with all rich food, you must read slowly and take time to reflect and digest. I'm not even sure what some of these stories were trying to say, if anything at all. The words capture flashes in time, usually at some monumental or debilitating time in the character's life. Although glossy and broken into bite-sized bits, each page is drenched in emotion and Fleming proves that incredibly good things can come in small packages.

Four out of Five stars for gritty, moving storytelling and characters who never find happiness.