I've recently begun reading flash fiction and have discovered some that I really like, that in a concise, though not unartistic, manner create atmosphere, character, story, mood. They are complete and often wonderful. Mr Nash's stories, however, seem wide of that mark. Often more lengthy than I find effective, often full of impenetrable language, they are organized as if following some sort of educational curriculum, under headings for art, physics, extracurricular, etc. Some of the stories fit their categories in obvious ways but, for me, most did not.
The shorter the better with flash fiction. In the second half of this collection, I found several that were far more successful, in my opinion, than most of what came before. Some I really liked. Nash finally removed that detachment which had lost me and prevented me from engaging in many of his other stories. He also found his edge--providing sharper endings--and became more precise.
As I wrote in a review for another collection of flash fiction, I do believe there may be disagreement about what is good and what is skilled in flash fiction. But the important factor is for the story to grab the reader---and to do it quickly. Sadly most of these stories did not do so for me. Those that did grab me, did their job well (Crowd Sauced, In Triplicate, Laundry Lists, Confirmament, Disbanded, Zombie). All in all, though these are outweighed in a collection of 50 stories.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
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- JumeiraJamesReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2016
Less than the sum of it's parts
