Amina Gautier

In one piece of Amina Gautier’s collection, a character sees a glimpse of a second chance, and actually seems to take it. In “Cicero Waiting” a teacher’s wife invites him to bed in a gesture so giving and so touching, that it stands out against the all-too-prominent self-absorption on display elsewhere. In “Cicero Waiting” a couple is trying to survive the loss of their three year-old daughter to kidnapping and murder. The father, who was taking care of the little girl at the show more time, cannot forgive himself, does not believe he is worthy.

These emotions fill this collection. The extremely human feelings of loss, guilt, regret, anger, and denial fill these pages and are very effectively portrayed. After failed marriages, characters (sometimes) grudgingly admit the possibility of their own partial fault. Others remain peevish or egotistical, or they deny their heritage, or they engage in highly ill-advised liaisons, sometimes even with their exes. The desperate guilt and loss some of these characters feel reaches us as true and authentic. This is Ms. Gautier’s achievement, and the proof of her skill.

The author sets most of these stories against a backdrop of academia, with tenured professors, respected specialists, and struggling graduate students. Ms Gautier does not shy away from depicting prejudice, or resentment, or self-aggrandizement, or confusion among this population - far from it. Her vision for her characters - and her undeniable success - is to set their raw, injured, or imperfect humanity on display.

There is a consistency in these stories. They’re executed well, their themes are set up and displayed succinctly, and some have a power to touch our hearts. And the author shows a solid range of voice and point of view, and she always suits them to her purpose. A solid collection by a young writer whom I will be watching. show less

A short story collection which focuses on young children at risk due to family issues and their surroundings set in a Brooklyn housing project.

In “Ease of Living”, Jason’s two best friends are shot and killed and his mother scrapes up enough money to send him away down south to his grandfather’s house. He misses his friends even though he knows that they are no good for him. After initially scoffing at his grandfather, he comes to respect him.

In “Held”, young teen mother Kim show more wants her mother to help with her baby so that she can enjoy life again. Her mother refuses, telling Kim that she has to figure out things for herself. Kim eventually realizes that her daughter is a gift rather than a burden. show less

Whenever I pick up a slim volume of short stories that I this good, I try to read slowly and with a bit of quiet time between each story. However, I found I couldn't put this one down, especially once I realized there was some overlap amongst them. Excellent writing from many points of view!

The author's concise writing stands out in this collection of heartfelt stories about family dynamics. Some are heartbreaking, some uplifting, all are real. Some have connections with each other. The book won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Fiction. The volume is slim and I'll read these stories again, they are that good.

The book came to me by way of GR giveaways.