EVENINGLAND 2017

Eveningland: Stories by Michael Knight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For ten years, since retirement, we've traveled to the Gulf in February to escape the worst of Michigan's winter at first staying in various motels and eventually renting condos in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama.

My love of reading had fallen by the wayside as I struggled with my kidney failure and the burden of dialysis four times a day. Even on vacation, I found it difficult to concentrate.

As a member, not necessarily in good standing, of Net Galley I am able to read and review books before publication. I'm not high enough in the hierarchy for publishers to want to share their treasures although I have loved the books I've been granted.

Right before we left Orange Beach to come home, I got an e-mail that offered a book of short stories by Michael Knight called Eveningland. The setting was Mobile and the Gulf. I was able to get a copy and started reading.

THE FIRST LINE: "None of this is true. All of this is true."

THE STORY: There are six stories and a novella that may or may not include a satisfactory ending for some readers. The reader is often left to ponder what might happen in the future. One with a real twist is "Smash and Grab". By the time I got to "Landfall", I was so invested in the characters that I was truly concerned on their behalf.

WHAT I THOUGHT: Short stories are not something I tend to choose to read; however, I am almost always won over and that was the case here.

The writing is beautiful and the description of areas around Mobile evocative. I actually prefer untidy endings. They stay with you longer.

Title: Eveningland

Author: Michael Knight

Genre: Short Stories

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press

No. of Pages: 304

Copyright: March 7, 2017

ISBN-10: 0802125972

ISBN-13:978-0802125972

Disclaimer: An advanced reading copy (ARC) of this book was provided to me by Atlantic Monthly Press and Net Galley for an honest review.

Michael Knight is the author of the novels The Typist and Divining Rod, the short story collections Goodnight, Nobody and Dogfight and Other Stories, and the book of novellas The Holiday Season. Knight teaches creative writing at the University of Tennessee and lives in Knoxville with his family. Learn more at MichaelKnightFiction.com. (from Amazon)
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The Bostons (2001)

The Bostons by Carolyn Cooke

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I always forget how much I actually enjoy reading short stories. That said, I wish I could have been more comfortable with these.

Literate short stories demand more of a reader. Words have to be more carefully chosen because the author tells the story in just a few pages. Carolyn Cooke's sketches of people are poignant, depressing, touching, and insightful. I found them, on the whole, truthfully disturbing. If you prefer a story with a middle, beginning, and end, these stories will baffle you.


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Say You're One of Them (2008)

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was not an easy book to read. It was on the list of ten best books put out by Entertainment Weekly for 2008. I am slowly reading my way through the list but I seriously thought about putting this down in the first half. It was difficult for me to understand the dialogue with its mix of English, french and native words. But I persevered and am glad I did.

These stories all concern children, brothers and sisters, trying to live in countries like Rwanda and Kenya where unspeakable things are happening. The juxtaposition of innocence and the banality of evil is frightening. I learned things I wish were not true.

Uwem Akpan is a Jesuit Priest and got an MFA from the University of Michigan in 2006. The title is advice on how to survive ethnic conflict and so much more. This is an unforgettable book.

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Olive Kitteridge (2008)

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout is a collection of short stories, at least some of which have been previously published, that weave Olive's story with those of others living in a small coastal town in Maine. These poignant and compelling glimpses give an inside view of both the despair and hope that touches all of us and we can recognize ourselves in these insightful tales.

Easy to read, these stories will stay with you. One quote I had to write down was a wonderful way of explaining a parent's love for their children, "Each of his sons had been his favorite child."

This is a very special book. I recommend it highly.