This is a book of short stories about change. Change inside, change in fortune, change in life.
In each case we are treated to the inner thoughts and feelings of a character who has reached a turning point in an existence that was already on the edge, and for most of them the only path is a downward spiral. Usually, those affected are not totally the authors of their own downfall, and we feel sympathetic towards them as circumstances tear them apart.
In each tale, the story development is limned in meticulous detail that sometimes becomes overwhelming. The focus is on the main character, but then it zooms out to reveal the formative environment, sometimes taking a bit too wide a scope and interfering with the flow of the action. There is also a tendency to jump around in serial flashbacks, at moments making it uncertain exactly where we are in the timeline of the tale.
The main problem with book as a whole is that the stories are so much the same. They all show in great detail the fall of a normal person to the depths of despair, and while the endings are sometimes different, the theme is always the same; life is dangerous, and anyone can fall.
Except for “Leaving Glory,” a ray of sunshine in the gloom, a story in a different genre, which gives the theme of the volume a wry twist. And the last story, “Mile 23,” which caps this somber series with an appropriate ending.
A group of fascinating character studies, beautifully portrayed, but a melancholy view of life.
Four stars.