we might as well light something on fire

by Ron MacLean

Fiction. There are stories and then there are Ron MacLean stories—the ones that seem almost impossible to believe, the ones that dig deep into layers of truth, the ones you simply can't get out of your head. In prose that crackles like high-tension wires in the night, MacLean probes the mysterious center of life where things happen without explanation and where we're brought together by our hunger for meaning. There are stories about the ambiguities and ironies permeating our lives, like "Night Bus," where a young American traveler feels increasingly alienated among his Finnish tour group even as they seem to welcome him. There are stories of existential drift, such as "Unfound," where a community grapples with the helplessness of not knowing as severed human feet wash onto their shore. And there are stories like "What Remains," which bring us face to face with the dual invitation and burden of the past. Stretching the boundaries of narrative, pushing the prose into new directions, MacLean never loses sight of the complexities of love and desire and the question of doing good. Whether his stories embrace traditional narrative forms, mixed modes, or revel in postmodern uncertainty, they unfailingly speak to deep human needs--and the world's refusal to grant them. You won't soon forget them.

179 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2019

About the author

Ron’s fiction has appeared in GQ, Greensboro Review, Prism International, Night Train and other quarterlies. He is a recipient of the Frederick Exley Award for Short Fiction and a Pushcart Prize nominee. When he teaches, he does so at Grub Street, Boston’s independent writing center.

Reviews

[Andrew]

Always happy to read a collection of stories where the author uses each piece to explore what fiction can do. I'm especially fond of "Unfound" (the mystery of the severed feet) and "Night Bus" (where a tour gets defamiliarized as the protagonist loses the string of why he's there).

[Rebeca]

A wide range of totally immersive stories! My two personal favorites are Lesser Escape Artists and Night Bus!

[Lynne Reeves Griffin]

This impressive collection is wild and wonderful! Readers and writers alike will be mesmerized by the language and by the many stories that play with form and structure. Highly recommend!