Review: There's a message there somewhere
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 15, 2012
Short stories as a whole don't do it for me. I want a story that I can curl up with and read and read and well read. Yet, Gary Ponzo's writing does do it for me. That said, these three shorts were, I don't know, enjoyable. At first, these stories struck me as a bit odd; odd until I realized that all three have a commonality of elements: family and protectiveness, loneliness, wanting and or desire.SPOILER ALERTIn "The Last Mountain Gorilla", a journalist in search of the legendary Eastern Congo 500 pound silverback gorilla named Kwendro finds the meaning of family and protectiveness. Our protagonist, with the aid of a Park Ranger, ponders the demise of mountain gorillas as they fled the onslaught of the Congolese army who do not want the truth to be told. The Ranger is injured while on the run. The gentle Kwendro, who at first blush appeared threatening, befriended and displayed protectiveness toward them. The sense of family loss kicked in for the last gorilla as he chose to save the humans. By taking a bullet, the two humans are allowed to escape to freedom and Kwendro to be with his "family." We are told that this is a story "about a father who longs to be home with his family." I envisioned this to mean that man and animal each felt a deep seated need to be "home with his family.""A Simple Solution" is about the obsessive work of a Nobel Prize winning scientist whose desire to find a cure for a beloved brother's mental retardation collapses his marriage. The wife decides to leave him on the day he has a crowded auditorium awaiting the FDA decision on his project. However, instead of actually leaving, she is one among the crowd to hear the devastating news that the FDA rejected his project. Realizing her husband's frailness and the need to ease the numbness of the announcement, she races to him only to find her worse fear confirmed. Fearing for his safety, she wades through a horde of news people and upon finally reaching him discovers he has taken the germ that not only cures but causes OTC. Early on we learn of the gentle sympathetic attention she exhibits toward her mentally challenged brother-in-law. Devastated over the loss of his marriage and the disappointment of the FDA's announcement, the husband feels his only chance is to become disabled too; thus, insuring that she will always stay with him. Family, loneliness, protectiveness and desire are apparent.In the "Escape Artist," we find a man who because of the pressures of his highly stressful career decides to take on the persona of an extremely notorious inmate who shares the same name. In jail our protagonist finds peace until his true identity is discovered and is released. Here is a story of protectiveness, loneliness, wanting and desire.All in all, I liked what I read, Gary. Good job ~!~.