Andersen Prunty

Andersen Prunty’s The Overwhelming Urge already had a mark in its favor, as I love flash fiction when done well (and it is very hard to do - try and tell a story in 1000, 750 or 500 words or less). Prunty does flash well, and there are a couple of short story length pieces in the book. His spare writing style can cram a lot into a few lines, and in the midst of all the absurdity, there is a pathos that drew me into the stories.

For example, in the story “Bully,” the trope is that the show more protagonist sent a story to the wrong sort of venue and the editor not only rejected it, but showed up at the protagonist’s home to challenge him to a fight. As one reads the description of the bully and the protagonist, then looks at Prunty’s author picture on the back page, the resemblance between the three is clear, and one wonders if this tale is possibly a clever, short look at the writer’s war with himself. The mistakes, the potential for humiliation, the sense of horror when work is rejected by peers. Of course, the story is littered with strange details that could mean the piece is simply an attempt to entertain using absurdity, but as someone who tries herself to write fiction, I left the piece with this interpretation.
Read more of my review at:
http://ireadoddbooks.com/?p=110 show less

All in all, this is a tight, well-told horror/bizarro tale. Every detail matters in the game Mr. Grin forces Jack to play. Anyone who has either tried to write a mystery/thriller/horror novel will know how hard this is to do, and more important, anyone who has read a novel that cannot pull it off knows how marvelous it is when a writer gets it right. Since I don’t want to spoil the plot, I can’t go into depth about all the ways that Prunty makes every word matter, but I can say that show more Prunty doesn’t make the mistake of making words count in a calculated, stiff manner. He is far more deft than that. Casual conversations help with characterization but it is subtle – not a hammer in our foreheads announcing, “Hey, character development, pay attention!” As Jack careens from one bad scene to the next, the plot’s pace never seems overwhelming or rushed. Read my entire review here: http://ireadoddbooks.com/jack-and-mr-grin-by-andersen-prunty/ show less

This is like a story you would write for your friends in high school to read--except much dirtier than you could probably have imagined and much better written, because Prunty, who perhaps has never grown up, manages to even weave in a bit of reasonable philosophy into a story about a town gone Satan-crazy and about Doug, a church-obsessed 18 year old, who is about to learn the real truth. Sex, blood, goats, and lots of beer. All the ingredients for a great party. Don't miss out. Not sure I show more can actually recommend this, but Doug, Crank, and Whitney may linger with me a while. Whether I will make the time for more of Prunty's work, however, is definitely the $666 dollar question. show less

Time to add a new author to my favorites list. Andersen Prunty delivers a sadistically hilariously and enjoyable read about perpetual loser Ryan Noman (opposite of the Everyman, I would assume), whose job bottling miracle water is almost as dead-end as his relationships with just about everyone and everything. Prunty mixes in enough absurdities to humorously embellish the devastating realities of Ryan's life without descending into lazy surrealism. I'll definitely be looking for more works show more by this author. show less