Kind of Blue

by Christopher Chambers

The stories in Kind of Blue juke and jive in an unpredictable voice-driven romp. Set in rural Wisconsin, Minneapolis, Duluth, Milwaukee, Detroit, New Orleans, Houston, and South Florida, these are stories that start and stop and surprise, swerving all over the road. These are stories of wanderlust and music, loss and misdirection, disasters large and small. With the sound and rhythm of language driving them, these tales, give voice to the working- and middle- class worlds of the American Midwest and the South.

Genres: Short Stories

220 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2022

Reviews

[Wisconsin Alumni]

Christopher Chambers, UW faculty (Division of Continuing Studies, ret.)
Author

From the author
The stories in Kind of Blue juke and jive in an unpredictable voice-driven romp. Set in rural Wisconsin, Minneapolis, Duluth, Milwaukee, Detroit, New Orleans, Houston, and South Florida, these are stories that start and stop and surprise, swerving all over the road. These are stories of wanderlust and music, loss and misdirection, disasters large and small. With the sound and rhythm of language driving each tale, Christopher Chambers gives voice to the working- and middle-class worlds of the
American Midwest and the South.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unflinching and unsentimental, these stories take us into the hard-scrabble life of folks getting by. From a one-paragraph story to one stretching out to twenty pages, Chambers shows his skill and range, with gorgeous language and deep compassion for his characters. You’ll want to savor each piece like box of chocolates—or maybe a flight of beers.

[Mookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a fantastic collection of stories. Gritty and real characters. My favorite is O Happy Living Things. It carries a post-apocalyptic feel in New Orleans. A run-in with three people in a beatup Volvo and an SKS rifle in the trunk. A meditation on friends and violence and what it means to live.

[E. Farris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best pieces in this story collection were those in which the author played with craft. Quite clever in places, unexpected results. A few stories also have a type of lyrical poetics - style to them.

[Lisa Lehmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meaty, thoughtful, moody stories that you'll think about for a long time. I highly recommend this book. The writing is so imaginative and inspiring!

[Marie Zhuikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gritty and good! My favorite story was "Riptide," about an aging lifeguard whose past catches up to him.