Corporeality by Hollis Seamon
Able Muse Press, 1/31/2013
Paperback, 204 pages
ISBN-13: 9781927409039
Description:
In Corporeality, Hollis Seamon’s latest fiction collection, we meet the cat lady, the professor dealing with a plagiarist while coping with personal hardships, sibling rivalry of the unnaturally cursed kind, the dog that goes beyond everyday dog sense and scent to protect its owners. These are some of the eclectic characters and settings that make Corporeality irresistible and difficult to put down once you’ve started reading. Like her preceding collection Body Work and mystery novel Flesh, this book is a testament to Seamon’s ample gifts as a storyteller.
My Thoughts:
Corporeality by Hollis Seamon is a collection of short stories that follow the state of mind of various quirky and beleaguered characters.
The collection features 10 stories (in my advanced readers copy):
"SUTHY" - a 17 year old and a 15 year old are terminal and in hospice care
with SUTHY: "Somebody Up There Hates You" syndrome.
"Annus Mirabilis" - a professor who walked out on teaching to offer Bread
and Books from the front porch of her home but troubles follow her
there
"Leave It Lie" - garbage men Gary and Echo become heroes when they find
two babies in a garbage bag and rush them to the hospital.
"Fatty Lumpkin vs. The Reaper: Rounds One, Two and Three" - an old, fat,
blind, but very intuitive terrier protects his owner from the grim reaper
"Gigantina" - three sisters, one strangely deformed, experience sibling
rivalry
"The Plagiarist" - a professor deals with an obvious case of plagiarism
while experiencing her own personal problems
"Like a Virus" - A woman with agoraphobia meets a paranoid neighbor
"The Trojan Cat: A Drama in Three Acts" - a woman rescues her first cat,
which leads to another, and another
"Praise Be to an Afflicting God" - two misfit neighbors and friends suspect
that life on their street is changing
"Cabbage Night" - three girls fear their neighbor is killing their
mother
This outstanding collection is masterfully written and the characters
Seaman astutely creates are unforgettable. Several of the stories evoke raw
emotions ranging from fear, anger, terror, and heartbreak. Most of the
characters could be anyone you might see, a family you hear about in passing,
or the neighbors you wonder about. My favorites were SUTHY, Annus Mirabilis,
Leave It Lie, Fatty Lumpkin vs. The Reaper, and The Trojan Cat, but all the
stories are certainly worth reading in this notable collection.
Very Highly Recommended - especially for fans of short
stories
No quotes since I had an advanced reading copy.
2 comments:
Why would a person name a dog after Tom Bombadil's horse?
That thought also crossed my mind, but I love the idea of a dog named Fatty Lumpkin too.
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