Review
Flash fiction is categorized as a short story under one thousand words. Once it was synonymous with prose-poetry, short bits of text that were too poetic to be prose, but not formatted like poetry. Poetry-prose evolved into flash fiction, a medium that has blossomed in the ezine market, as well as the traditional print magazines.
You might ask, how hard can it be to pop out a few hundred words? Well, it’s harder than you might think. Consider that the writer of flash fiction must create believable characters, scene and plot for each of these micro fictions. Think of that. In Raymond Grant’s slim book “Don’t be Impatient, Read a Short Story,” he has created fifty-four individual worlds. Each is a complete story with well-developed characters and plots, not obscure poetry-prose that leave you wondering, “huh?” Raymond Grant tells a story with each title, in clear prose, with believable dialogue and descriptions.
You might also ask, what’s the point of such a short story? They’re fun, for one thing, and they’re satisfying. Reading them at night is like a lime sorbet for your mind; they cleanse away the taste of the day’s thoughts and give you something fresh to ponder for your dreams. The only problem is I couldn’t read just one. Because they are so short I found myself eager to read the next and then the next after that. Highly addictive stuff.
Raymond Grant themes run the gamut: love, revenge, coming-of-age. Some are set in modern times, others in the far past or future. This collection isn’t so much “Between the Cracks” as it rather covers all the cracks. There is something for everyone inside these covers.
In “My Sister’s Treasures,” a little boy wonders if the girls in Playboy are as smart as they look. In “Transition” a father gets a rare glimpse of his daughter’s special moment, when the little girl becomes a woman. Some of my favorites were unique character sketches like “Gary’s First Law.” Gary’s voice is unique and unforgettable. “Nothing moves unless I move it,” says Gary. “Nothing makes noise. I know where everything is…Funny how some things hurt and other things don’t.”
Other stories are full, detailed plots. “Revelation” is the journey of a boy to a man, reflected in his thoughts about his parents. “Follow Me” is a frightening tale of retribution that spans a thousand years in about six hundred words. Like all good fantasy, “Follow Me” comments on themes that are relevant to us today. Here’s a taste of “Follow Me.”
The Chosen One whipped the crowd to a frenzy again and left them to destroy the property of the unworthy. The crowd turned their focus to the outsiders. They broke glass. They pillaged. They burned. They murdered. It was so easy to destroy what others had worked hard and long to create.
Those in distant lands seemed unconcerned. After all, this was a minority of fanatics, radicals, fundamentalists. The followers of the Chosen One would be placated - replaced - eliminated - one way or another. They, who watched from afar, did not worry. Their politicians would worry for them.
The longest story in this collection is five pages. The shortest is nineteen words, including the title. Some are heavy with meaning, like “Follow Me.” Most are lighthearted and fun, often with a twist ending like “It’s the Damn Snake!” Eve says: My new green snakeskin booths with matching purse go well with my palm frond skirt. Maybe, this gig outside of Eden won’t be so bad after all!
So “Don’t be Impatient, Read a Short Story!”
