Bad Kansas by Becky Mandelbaum
University of Georgia Press: 9/15/17
eBook review copy; 176 pages
ISBN-13:
9780820351285
Bad Kansas: Stories by Becky Mandelbaum is a very highly
recommended collection of eleven short stories. This collection is the
well-deserved winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for 2017.
All of the stories use Kansas as a metaphor for dislocation and
disconnection, as well as a location. All of her characters are
appealing and quirky as they deal with various relationships. Mandelbaum
delves deep into their psyches and concerns with others as well as
themselves.
There is no question that this is an exquisite collection of stories
where every one of them is exceptionally well written. At time
poignant and other times humorous this is a masterful
collection and likely portends great things to come in the future for
Mandelbaum. The stories include: Kansas Boys; The Golden State; A Million and One
Marthas; Go On, Eat Your Heart Out; The House on Alabama Street; Night
of Indulgences; Stupid Girls; Thousand-Dollar Decoy; First Love; Queen
of England; and Bald Bear.
Most of the stories are set in Lawrence, Kansas or nearby (hardly there)
Vineland. This is worth noting because the city is very much used as a
place and a recognizable character in the stories. Since it is also
currently my home, I recognize many of the places, streets etc., if only
by name/reputation. If anyone attended the University of Kansas, they
will also likely have a more memory-laden recall of various areas where
students tend to congregate. Yet again, I don't think Kansas is all that
bad, and most certainly Lawrence is hardly representative of the state,
but it seems the state is doomed to be an example of a bad place to
live.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of the University of Georgia Press.
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