We Were Flying to Chicago
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
In this striking debut collection, characters find unexpected moments of profound insight while navigating daily life.
"Clouther’s first collection of stories shows an 'old' talent—meaning, his sophistication in treatment and technique and his wise observations of the human condition have the feel of an author who has the experience of several story collections behind him."—Booklist, starred review
"Sharply observed."—Toronto Star
"The 10 entries in Clouther’s debut collection all display a sure–handed grasp of craft."—Publishers Weekly
In this striking debut collection, characters find unexpected moments of profound insight while navigating the monotony of daily life. Here we find a man who drives to the wrong mountain, a hubcap cleaner who moonlights as a karaoke star, and a deliveryman whose urgent letters have no willing recipient. While lulled by the deceptively simple rhythm of the ordinary, Kevin Clouther offers the instant before momentous change—the view over the cliff, the intake of breath before a decision, a glimpse of stark vulnerability, of faith and hope.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Although uneven in quality, the 10 entries in Clouther's debut collection all display a sure-handed grasp of craft. The first and last stories are the best. In the former, the title story, deft and subtle shifts of perspective among a group of young women lead to a well-earned concluding insight. Better still is the emotionally complex final selection, "Puritan Hotel, Barnstable," about two brothers, Michael and Connor, dealing with Connor's cancer treatment. The other stories are a mixed bag. "T-Bone Capone Loves the Lady Ace," which also centers on the illness of a loved one in this case, the sister of the narrator's girlfriend feels forced. "Isabelle and Colleen," about a 13-year-old boy, his high-school-age brother, and his brother's pregnant girlfriend, has some tender, memorable moments. "On The Highway Near Fairfield, Connecticut," about two cousins on a road trip, looks at fate with a fresh eye. "The Third Prophet of Wyaconda," concerning a messianic visitor to a small Iowa town, never quite achieves the right tone. Nonetheless, readers should find many of Clouther's characters, even those in his less successful efforts, lingering in the mind afterward.
