DEWDROPS

Novelist and practicing attorney Flanigan’s debut story collection ably depicts ordinary people making the best of bad circumstances.

In the leading story, “Some Cold War Blues,” good-natured 11-year-old Jack lives at the mercy of a hostile, hard-drinking stepfather—a man “as black and stony and desiccated as cinders”—and his distant mother. His cursed childhood seems soothed only by the swearwords he learns from his pal Rex Jefferson and outdoor time spent with his buddies. But what begins as an epic neighborhood snowball fight turns violent when older interlopers relentlessly ambush their wintry forts. The title novella digs deeper into the human condition as Ray, a drug rehabilitation counselor and recovered addict, forms troubled and emotionally destabilizing relationships with his clients. Ray oversees the progress of a motley assortment of addicts. Here, the original scene-setting is as striking as the characters themselves. For example, Angel Day, an attractive participant (and recognizable semifamous singer) in one of Ray’s groups, must but cannot suppress her sexuality: “She has studied and displayed it for so long that it has captured every pore and cell of her and will not let go.” Finally, “On the Last Frontier” spotlights the melodramatic dynamic between Katie and Reuben, a restless and dysfunctional pair surviving in a small, tightly knit Alaskan village. Flanigan has a flare for description as he sets up scenes and expertly carves out characterizations; Jack’s icy snowball fight hums with the same palpable excitement as the chatter within the rehab’s recovery rooms. As different as each tale may be, they share a common thread of human perseverance, tenacity, and hope. Flanigan is an entertaining, skillful storyteller; his stories will appeal to both younger and adult readers of realistically drawn fiction.

Three compelling, impressively crafted tales united by authenticity and grace.