Review for the Book Slave
Clever and engaging. Wonderfully written stories about love and life.
Prolific author Billy McCoy (Strange Fruit, 2013, etc.), has written about characters that almost seem to object to their own storyline. In the first piece, The Book Slave, Skyler Mitchell is confused and afraid—mostly because she loves her boyfriend, Connor Louis, so much that it hurts; and because she is pregnant with his child. At the ripe age of 20, the strong-willed woman vows to have the child and raise it. She realizes, that Connor’s marriage proposal is nothing more than his way of expressing his love of the idea of love—rather than actual feelings toward her. His prospective career in professional football is much more important than the responsibility of a family.
The Pine Street Peddler is emotion inducing, to say the least. At 22, Vera Brown is unemployed and takes a job at Valumart—where money is valued and employees are disposable accessories. “Many of Valumart’s workers also [rely] on taxpayers—because they can’t support their families “on $7.25 an hour. At work, Vera forms a close working relationship Stephen, who informs her: “We call this cursed place the Pine Street Peddler, because of the way they treat their employees. They sell more pine boxes around here than the nearest funeral home.” Over the course of some time, Vera, with the help of her coworkers Stephen and Tania, decide to form a union after coming to better understand the injustices big corporations (such as Valumart) impose upon their employees. This story is rather reminiscent of required Literature found in the stacks of a College library, thought provoking with emotional depth.
The Glass Orangerie is a story of love and loss—with the possibility of love found. One that is likely very relatable for anyone who has ever been in love with the inability to let go (for one reason or another). Rosette, a middle-aged nurse admits of her “embarrassing disaster” of a relationship with Justin, that she cannot “get him out of [her] mind, no matter how hard [she] tries.” After her daughter, Paula, calls her worried that she’s killed her musician husband, she rushed to the situation to figure out what, exactly, is going on. Things are okay with Paula and her husband, however the incident seems to force Rosette to rethink the relationships in her life, and consider the love that she wants and deserves.
Laced with intense liaisons and surprising plot twists—the relatable, strong characters completely make this novella one you’ll instantly connect with. McCoy’s flash fiction is unique in the way that it commands attention and will not let go until the end. The way his characters’ lives mash together in ways unknown until the end is simply flawless and poetic.
This emotion-grabbing fiction at its best; The Book Slave is a literary piece you’ll love.
Prolific author Billy McCoy (Strange Fruit, 2013, etc.), has written about characters that almost seem to object to their own storyline. In the first piece, The Book Slave, Skyler Mitchell is confused and afraid—mostly because she loves her boyfriend, Connor Louis, so much that it hurts; and because she is pregnant with his child. At the ripe age of 20, the strong-willed woman vows to have the child and raise it. She realizes, that Connor’s marriage proposal is nothing more than his way of expressing his love of the idea of love—rather than actual feelings toward her. His prospective career in professional football is much more important than the responsibility of a family.
The Pine Street Peddler is emotion inducing, to say the least. At 22, Vera Brown is unemployed and takes a job at Valumart—where money is valued and employees are disposable accessories. “Many of Valumart’s workers also [rely] on taxpayers—because they can’t support their families “on $7.25 an hour. At work, Vera forms a close working relationship Stephen, who informs her: “We call this cursed place the Pine Street Peddler, because of the way they treat their employees. They sell more pine boxes around here than the nearest funeral home.” Over the course of some time, Vera, with the help of her coworkers Stephen and Tania, decide to form a union after coming to better understand the injustices big corporations (such as Valumart) impose upon their employees. This story is rather reminiscent of required Literature found in the stacks of a College library, thought provoking with emotional depth.
The Glass Orangerie is a story of love and loss—with the possibility of love found. One that is likely very relatable for anyone who has ever been in love with the inability to let go (for one reason or another). Rosette, a middle-aged nurse admits of her “embarrassing disaster” of a relationship with Justin, that she cannot “get him out of [her] mind, no matter how hard [she] tries.” After her daughter, Paula, calls her worried that she’s killed her musician husband, she rushed to the situation to figure out what, exactly, is going on. Things are okay with Paula and her husband, however the incident seems to force Rosette to rethink the relationships in her life, and consider the love that she wants and deserves.
Laced with intense liaisons and surprising plot twists—the relatable, strong characters completely make this novella one you’ll instantly connect with. McCoy’s flash fiction is unique in the way that it commands attention and will not let go until the end. The way his characters’ lives mash together in ways unknown until the end is simply flawless and poetic.
This emotion-grabbing fiction at its best; The Book Slave is a literary piece you’ll love.
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