![]() ![]() Parsons is a native of Texas, and although only a few stories name this state specifically, she is incredibly adept at conjuring a sense of vast, bone-dry landscapes, beautiful and bleak in equal measure. The worlds they play out in too are different, ranging from gritty urban streets to the flat, dusty landscapes lining an unnamed highway. Although there are several threads that run through the collection – sex (very often between two women), desire and first love, alcohol, motherhood and human bodies – each story is distinct and sharply defined. This is exactly the kind of effect that Black Light has: small glimpses into fascinating lives that are so richly textured, so vividly described, that it’s almost like watching them in real life. Without ever knowing too much about them, you can enjoy a glimpse of someone else’s life, either forgetting about them afterwards or allowing whatever you saw to fuel your imagination. As an avid people-watcher, short stories provide much of the same thrill. I used to find this frustrating now, I love it. ![]() For me, the trick lies in being able to let go of the need for endings – very often a short story will simply stop, cutting you out of the characters’ lives just as you were beginning to get into them. ![]() I used to struggle to read short stories, until I learned how to do it properly. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |