- NINE
- STRAY
- SHOTSIn
- these
- nine
- short
- stories,
- absurdity
- undermines
- the
- foundations
- of
- reality
- until
- there
- is
- no
- turning
- back:A
- boy
- gets
- trapped
- between
- the
- walls
- of
- a
- building.
- /
- Five
- friends
- establish
- a
- new
- country
- inside
- their
- apartment
- and
- set
- out
- to
- defend
- it
- with
- their
- teeth.
- /
- The
- sensual
- voice
- of
- a
- jazz
- singer
- disturbs
- the
- life
- of
- a
- musician
- to
- the
- point
- of
- driving
- him
- mad.
- /
- A
- jaded
- married
- couple
- receives
- a
- mysterious
- black
- box
- on
- their
- doorstep
- that
- will
- bring
- them
- together
- again.
- /
- In
- the
- midst
- of
- a
- war
- that
- seemed
- distant,
- three
- children
- and
- their
- tutor
- repeat
- over
- and
- over
- again
- the
- same
- form
- of
- death.
- /
- A
- mobster
- tells
- a
- crime
- as
- if
- it
- had
- already
- happened,
- but
- in
- reality
- he
- is
- anticipating
- it.
- /
- On
- their
- honeymoon,
- a
- couple
- of
- newlyweds
- get
- lost
- in
- a
- remote
- and
- mysterious
- village
- that
- does
- not
- appear
- on
- any
- map
- and
- end
- up
- involved
- in
- a
- crime
- that
- will
- accompany
- them
- for
- years.Between
- the
- fantastic,
- the
- absurd,
- the
- extravagant
- and
- the
- crude
- reality,
- these
- short
- stories
- are
- a
- winding
- path
- for
- the
- reader
- to
- venture
- into
- their
- own
- stray.REVIEWS:*"A
- succinct
- collection
- of
- literary
- nuggets
- ..."A
- good
- short
- story
- should
- reveal
- itself
- in
- a
- quick
- glancing
- light.
- But
- it's
- often
- hard
- to
- lose
- oneself
- in
- the
- brevity
- of
- such
- short
- works
- so
- when
- an
- anthology
- like
- Nine
- Stray
- Shots
- comes
- along
- it's
- worth
- taking
- note.A
- succinct
- collection
- of
- literary
- nuggets
- where
- tragedy,
- relationships,
- death
- and
- serendipity
- are
- briefly
- illuminated,
- There's
- no
- lyrical
- wandering
- with
- each
- story
- punching
- above
- its
- word
- count
- with
- unexpected
- moments
- encroaching
- on
- the
- reader's
- headspace
- and
- demanding
- reflection.The
- genre
- thrives
- on
- authors
- who
- can
- quickly
- tap
- into
- our
- imagination
- and
- in
- the
- main
- Soto
- achieves
- this
- through
- the
- economy
- of
- his
- settings
- which
- are
- readily
- absorbed
- and
- allow
- us
- to
- retain
- story
- arcs
- in
- our
- mind
- without
- relinquishing
- the
- detail.With
- short
- story
- anthologies
- like
- Nine
- Stray
- Shots,
- you
- can
- engage
- with
- them
- briefly,
- nod
- and
- think
- about
- them,
- then
- forget
- about
- them
- later.
- But
- if
- you
- do
- stop
- to
- think
- a
- little
- more
- about
- Soto's
- collection,
- you'll
- come
- to
- recognise
- the
- intricacy
- of
- what
- he's
- constructed
- as
- he
- holds
- his
- characters
- and
- events
- up
- to
- scrutiny.At
- just
- nine
- stories
- in
- all,
- Soto
- is
- quite
- adept
- at
- evoking
- social
- nuance.
- This
- is
- clearly
- evident
- in
- stories
- like
- Wrong
- Short
- Cuts,
- Black
- Box
- and
- The
- Weirdo
- and
- whilst
- they
- couldn't
- be
- more
- different
- each
- one
- is
- eminently
- readable
- and
- a
- testament
- to
- the
- passion
- with
- which
- Soto
- writes.A
- must-read
- for
- fans
- of
- short-form
- fiction
- Nine
- Stray
- Shots
- is
- unreservedly
- recommended.*The
- BookViral
- Review
- ---Reviewers
- say
- of
- jm
- soto's
- work:"Fear,
- absurdity
- and
- helplessness
- are
- expressed
- here
- through
- characters
- who
- live
- a
- shared,
- paradoxical
- and
- essential
- loneliness
- that
- can
- only
- emerge
- in
- the
- midst
- of
- the
- collective.
- Mariano
- Nava
- Contreras."Wonderful
- collection
- of
- stories
- stuffed
- with
- humanity,
- desolation
- and
- caustic
- humor;
- above
- all,
- assumed
- with
- a
- comfortable
- prose
- and
- without
- excesses.
- Moments
- without
- waste
- through
- journeys
- through
- childhood,
- through
- non-existent
- places,
- doses
- of
- surrealism,
- micro
- moments
- of
- terror...
- a
- shortcut
- through
- the
- most
- vile
- emotions,
- with
- a
- consistent
- influence
- of
- visual
- fables
- -Gillian,
- Lynch,
- Tarantino-
- that
- have
- marked
- the
- new
- generations
- of
- the
- most
- audacious
- writers
- without
- complexes".
- Joaquín
- Ortega."A
- mature
- author,
- with
- expertise,
- gifted
- with
- the
- art
- of
- leading
- stories
- and
- creating
- characters,
- and
- with
- them
- to
- move
- us,
- given
- his
- ability
- to
- maintain
- the
- tension
- and
- the
- dramatic
- arc,
- in
- impeccable
- consonance
- with
- the
- internal
- verisimilitude".
- Oscar Marcano.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
