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tdstorm's review
2.0
My personal tastes run toward peculiarity of plot and character rather than story form. Martone's tastes seem to run a little more toward experiments with form. For me, too many of these stories were self-indulgent, too clever, and ultimately not that much fun to read or ponder. There were a few exceptions. I enjoyed Michael Wilkerson's "Luna Moth," George Saunders's "The Red Bow," Kellie Wells's "Secession, XX," Curtis White's "Metaphysics of the Midwest" (until the end), and a few others (by Scott Russell Sanders, Deb Olin Unferth, Ander Monson, and Janet Kauffman). The best by far: Louise Erdrich's "Fuck with Kayla and You Die." Absolutely phenomenal. But there are 33 stories in this collection, and the majority are disappointing.
otterno11's review
2.0
This collection of "peculiar fictions from the Flyover" really showcases an interesting variety of short fiction, poetry, and even a few creative non-fiction pieces from writers from the various states that make up the American Midwest (whatever that is!). While most have at least an intriguing idea or style behind them, the sheer number of stories presented (33) tends to make the collection a bit too dense to easily get into, unfortunately. This is particularly the case in the stories that dragged a little themselves, due to some slightly overwrought pretension or other. It is cool to see so many different takes on what makes the Midwest "different", though.
Themes of dark humor, melancholy, nostalgia, and even magical realism all show up in these tales from the plains, farms, woods, and cities of the Middle West. The majority of the stories seemed to hail from the states of Illinois, Ohio, and, in particular, Indiana, and reflects the feelings of these states more than those further north or west. Some really captured the ethos of the region, I feel, while others seemed less connected to the theme, I felt. The enjoyability of the stories was not always reflected by either of these elements, though.
My favorites were the pieces of Louise Erdrich (Fuck with Kayla and You Die) and George Saunders (The Red Bow), of course, but The River Dead of Minneapolis Scavenged by Teenagers by Mark Ehling, July Snow by Scott Russell Sanders, and Natural Citizens by Deb Olin Unferth were also very interesting.
Themes of dark humor, melancholy, nostalgia, and even magical realism all show up in these tales from the plains, farms, woods, and cities of the Middle West. The majority of the stories seemed to hail from the states of Illinois, Ohio, and, in particular, Indiana, and reflects the feelings of these states more than those further north or west. Some really captured the ethos of the region, I feel, while others seemed less connected to the theme, I felt. The enjoyability of the stories was not always reflected by either of these elements, though.
My favorites were the pieces of Louise Erdrich (Fuck with Kayla and You Die) and George Saunders (The Red Bow), of course, but The River Dead of Minneapolis Scavenged by Teenagers by Mark Ehling, July Snow by Scott Russell Sanders, and Natural Citizens by Deb Olin Unferth were also very interesting.
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