A mesmerizing collection…
MacDonald’s remarkable insights and exquisite storytelling echo her characters’ longing to connect to others, and to life in her remarkable latest collection of twelve stories of love and longing. The vivid imagery of rural existence is a brilliant blend of stark details and poetic evocations of the country life in “Body of Water,” a story that evokes the rhythms of a love long-lost as the married protagonist sets aside his caution after an old flame turns up for help. “All I have,” an eloquent account of a troubled young woman and a convicted criminal’s unexpected bond, illuminates the possibilities of grace. A moment of physical connection brings an awareness of self in the teenager protagonist’s life in “Tito’s Descent,” which features a young girl’s wide-eyed first-person narration of a daring cave expedition with her late friend. The compelling “Body Language” explores a mother’s grief and sister’s guilt after the latter sets on to find the truth surrounding the circumstances of her younger brother’s accidental death. “Mongoose” explores abandonment, guilt, and blood ties that bind together an estranged father and daughter. In “Year by Year,” a compelling story of aging, loneliness, and bereavement, MacDonald captures her ninety-year-old protagonist’s aching sense of all that’s passed with stark honesty and perception. MacDonald breathes life into her flesh and blood characters, their relationships, and their traumas through carefully crafted situations. All the stories in the collection differ in form, but share the common theme of people yearning for the solace of human touch. This is a tender and unforgettable collection.
Body Language
By Marylee MacDonald
Grand Canyon Press
Pub date April 17, 2020
ASIN B08414S74Y
Price $12.99 (USD) Paperback, $6.00 Kindle edition
