Synopsis/blurb….
A book of Southern Gothic short stories of flawed
characters caught in sinister situations. A senior older brother calls his
sister to pay for his prostitute. A dissatisfied young housewife attends a
Total Woman seminar. Twirling class from a tyrannical band director. Just a few
of the East Texas hard-living souls erupting from Small Texas, a collection of
short stories from the wild mind of Cindy Marabito. Deliverance meets Car
Wheels on a Gravel Road with Carson McCullers riding shotgun.
Small Texas is a collection of short stories by author Cindy
Marabito. The full table of contents is as follows….
All the Way Home …. a sister, a brother, a
prostitute, a financial transaction, a broken familial one
Wolf Creek … family, recipes, memories, history,
infidelity
Knox Brothers Employment … the family business, the
boss cheating with the secretary, the cuckolded wife having the last word
Third Rate Romance … marital discontent, religion, dreams,
an alternative future
As the World Turns … Robert Kennedy gets shot, Granny
misses her TV show
Lost in Christ … a funeral
Rose City … family, rumours, loss, remarriage,
changes
Total Woman Smothers Husband …. marriage seminar/classes/advise
on how to be a good wife in all departments
For the Good Times …. family abuse, a stepfather
takes liberties, was I sad he got cancer? No I was not.
A Thousand Dollar Wedding … wedding plans
All That Jazz … dance class
Amelia … band practice and a d*ck of a teacher
Nobody Beach … family unhappiness, to be seventeen
The Tycoon Club … a job interview, a bomb, an
explosion, death, no job
L.A. Joan … a hospital deathbed visit, a family
reunion, tensions reignited
Nom de Plume …. writing class
Hillbilly Shining … hmm, not sure really
The Best Day Ever … family, mental issues,
rape, race and a small town
Most of the stories concern everyday people going about
their daily lives and experiencing the same issues that most of us are confronted with from time to time.
Family, death, illness, unhappiness, quashed dreams,
thwarted ambition, conflict against a back drop of small town Texas, in the
60s, 70s, 80s most noticeably - with mentions of Kennedy, LBJ, Jonny Cash,
Elvis, Steve McQueen, Peckinpah, Kim Novak, Houston, Beaumont, Peanuts and a
zillion other things.
I enjoyed the stories mostly. Some more than others.
Favourites – All the Way Home and Knox Brothers Employment
 |
4 stars from 5
Read – July, 2022
Published – 2021
Page count – 134
Source – purchased copy
Format - Kindle
This does sound like an interesting collection, Col, and steeped in the culture and setting. I always like it when stories reflect place and culture like that. I think Southern Gothic stories are starting to become more popular, and I wonder if there'll be more of them.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I was happy to take a punt on this collection and it paid off. I like a short story and I like a US setting and I like trying new authors. 3 for 3, here!
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