The owl that carries us away

"One is tempted, in describing Doug Ramspeck's new collection, to use the word 'unflinching' - and indeed, these fictions tackle crises that might tempt many to avert their gaze: dead, missing or decamped fathers, tragic accidents, romantic disappointment, childhood trauma, awkward aftermaths of all kinds. The problem is that 'unflinching' gives the viewer, or the writer, special credit for not looking away. But flinching is for those who have a choice, and the characters in these spare, close-to-the-bone stories do not. What Ramspeck succeeds in here is to show us, in poignant, lyrical, but never fussy prose, what everyday fortitude looks like, what it's like to look hardship straight in its eye and keep pressing on. These are flawed, sympathetic, fully human characters, and this is a sad, dark, terrific book." -- back cover.

Year

2018

Language

English

Publisher

BkMk Press, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Editions

1

Pages

181

ISBN

9781943491131

Data source: Wikidata