The Exploding Tree

by Kevin Richard White

143 pages, Paperback

Published March 27, 2024

Reviews

[Nathaniel Duggan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author gave me a free copy of this book because he peed on my book as part of my promotional campaign, saying that I could pee on his too in return. I didn't pee on this book but I did read it. It's refreshingly 'old school' for an 'indie' book, paying tribute to more classical, careful storytelling in the vein of Carver, which I liked. If he really wants I'll pee on it but I'm fine just reading it and reviewing it on Goodreads -- it's a good book, and it seems like it'd be a waste to pee on it.

[Colin Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin Richard White's collection of short stories takes a humorous and grim look at the grim and humorous of human relationships. There is something in my family we call The G Test, the most basic test you can put to a movie: if you are still thinking about it the next day, then it passes The G Test, and The Exploding Tree passes with flying, if not exploding, colors. (Yes the cover by Anxiety Driven Graphics kicks major ass too.) KRW has a firm grasp on his own voice, so much so that I wished after a couple of the stories that he had executed them without a punchline, something he definitely favors. But the stories survive the gags. My favorites in this collection were 'The Best American Deaths of the Last Year', a list-based story detailing the demises of various friends; 'There's No One Here by That Name', a clever existential two-pager; and 'Come And See This', a one-pager about Legos...or sexual abuse. Not sure where KRW came from or who he is, but this book will give you a bunch of grim little clues.

[James Callan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a swift, bitter book full of pessimism, regret, and disenchantment. So what made it such a pleasurable read? For one, it was written with a strong voice - one that was authentic enough to have me asking "What the hell happened to KRW to make his outlook so scathing?" His frank prose and unapologetic approach gave most of these stories a sense of raw truth and roughness that appealed to me. Strong whifs of trauma in this one, with dark childhood memories and bad parenting, but plenty of love (which is a crucial element and the cherry on top in this solid collection).