Christine DeSmet

And Ampersand: Short Stories on Endings and Beginnings

A review

While this collection is subtitled in parentheses “short stories on endings and beginnings of a sort,” many of these flash fiction-length stories are poetry in the way they flow and beg for a re-reading. As soon as I finished the collection, I hungered to sink into them again, to allow resonance. The collection deals with death and mourning, but don’t be put off by the topic. Campbell’s insights into the matter will make you ponder how we treat people who have lost a loved one. In the story “And Ampersand,” about mourning, Campbell writes with simple and effective truth: “There are no more road trips. No co-pilot runs fingers through your hair.” Another astounding entry called “Glass” gives us the unique imagery of a person feeling like and becoming glass when in mourning—that sense of being delicate and ready to shatter if we’re even touched, even if the giver of a hug is well-meaning. The final entry is written with a poet’s grace, emphasizing memories of a loved one when you’re cleaning out the closet to finally give away—or not—the jackets your father wore. The variety of stories in this collection express the deep and intimate thoughts that ring true when we lose family members or friends. I highly recommend And Ampersand for all readers and not just those in mourning. Campbell’s prose felt like an awakening, a “beginning of a sort” indeed.

--Christine DeSmet