Review by Booklist Review
Several of the stories in this collection were previously published in journals such as McSweeney's and Atticus Review. Fleming's stories convey a satirical view of modern American culture, of family dysfunction, small-town living, and the negative side of human nature. Traumatic events in their lives lead some characters to redemption, others to extinction. Skillful choice of language, dark humor, and the occasional integration of fantastic elements ensure enjoyment. The title story, Songs for the Deaf, detailing the codependency between a kid with an amazing voice and the people of his rural town, slowly spirals into the absurd. In Chomolungma, readers meet a family climbing Mount Everest in the care of discount Sherpas, providing the husband with revenge for a highly public indiscretion by his resentful wife. The History of War in Three Parts is a crushing polemic against dictatorship and war and the devastation both bring to human lives. These strong stories will appeal to fans of literary writing and short stories. Libraries will want to purchase accordingly.--Loughran, Ellen Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In his first collection of stories, novelist Fleming (The Legend of the Barefoot Mailman) serves as ringmaster to a motley variety of characters, including cowards, self-proclaimed messiahs, and ghostly hitchhikers. In the title story, deputy sheriff Jeremy Jones struggles to understand the appeal of his opera-singing childhood nemesis, Tony Sutter, aka "the Magnificent Antonio," for the fellow inhabitants of his small town. "Xenophilia" depicts one evening from multiple perspectives, Rashomon-style, as the military, townspeople, and police officers converge on a local restaurant to capture a crash-landed alien and its scientist paramour, while in "Cloud Reader," frontier justice seals the fate of the oracular title character. Several stories aim for satire, and some hit the mark, like the let's-strengthen-our-family-by-climbing-Everest antics of "Chromolungma." Others, though, wilt under too much cleverness-particularly "The Day of Our Lord's Triumph (with Marginal Notes for Children)," an account of a teenage boy's miraculous victory over high school bullies, written as a parody of Christian devotional texts. Where Fleming truly excels is in the briefest story, "A Charmed Life," which traces a lovable loser protagonist's travels with straight-faced sincerity, showing what a skilled writer can accomplish in just a few short pages. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
