What a joy it is to come across this wonderful book of short stories. Each one is a gem in its own right. The stories vary greatly and several have to do with seafaring or land faring boats or machines. All the stories are wonderfully written with great characterizations and terrific themes.
The title story is about The Hunley, a Confederate submarine that has had two unsuccessful missions killing thirteen men due to malfunction. This is the story of its third mission and what kind of man signs up for such self-defeat - one with hip displacement, another with a severed leg tendon caused by his own bayonet, one with panic disorder, etc. Seven men volunteered out of 400 volunteers. Their job is to sink the largest Union frigate they can find. "They place bets on the time it will take us to sink ourselves. The odds are on less than a week." The story is funny and poignant at the same time. Since I am not particularly interested in the specifics of the Civil War, only writing of such excellence could have had me so riveted.
`Summer Boys' is a lovely rendition of two fifth grade boys, born four days apart, who spend their summer together like twins. The beauty, angst, and fear that comprises this friendship is felt viscerally.
`John, For Christmas' tells of a couple who wait anxiously and fearfully for their mentally ill son to arrive home for Christmas.
In `Camp Winnesaka', a less than thriving camp, the camp mascot named Moosey disappears and the camp leader decides it was stolen by a rival camp. He declares war and in the process, several campers die.
In 1914, a group of Russian peasants sign up on the `Saint Anna' for a journey in a ship that is heading north. The journey has two purposes: to map the land and to bring back bounty from hunting. Instead, the ship gets landlocked in ice for two years in temperatures of -30 degrees. This is the story of the ship and the men on it.
`The Broken Group' tells of a father and son sailing together. They run into a man who tells them that his boat was damaged beyond repair in a recent storm and he has been waiting four days for the Coast Guard. Things quickly become dark and frightening.
A couple gets mugged in `A Mugging' and this story shows the profound impact that the mugging has on them.
Shipper tanks take to the sand searching for `Dirwhals', a source of energy in the future. They are looking for an animal in the sands that is near extinction and must deal with firsties, an aggressive environmental group. All this is told from the vantage point of journal entries by one Lewis Dagnew who despairs over abandoning his sister.
It is rare that I've read a book of short stories that is as powerful, fluid and riveting as this one. Some of the stories are on topics that don't particularly interest me, yet I was sucked into them by the strength of the writing. I highly recommend this book.
$9.99 with 44 percent savings
Digital List Price: $17.99 
The Digital List Price is the suggested price provided by the publisher for the eBook format.
Learn more
Learn more
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2013
- Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2013
