Review: Baloney-on-white, no mustard or mayo
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 19, 2013
(Note: This short story was gifted to me through Amazon by the author, Annie Zhu, in exchange for an honest review. She sweetened the pot by saying she'd enjoyed my review ofGone Girl, which I regard as improbable since less than a handful of people have judged that offering "useful." OK, so I'm easily bought. But thank you, Annie, just the same.)"I wanted to go home instead of being out there pretending that I cared. I wished I cared instead of pretending that I did." - The anonymous protagonist of LOVE SANDWICHES while handing out baloney-on-white to the urban homelessSince the Annie Zhu has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, I tend to think - though I may be horribly wrong - that LOVE SANDWICHES is perhaps the author's trial literary balloon sent aloft in the fickle winds of the buying masses. A first public tryout of her writing skills, if you will.I have to admit that I didn't see much eyebrow-raising substance in LOVE SANDWICHES, but that may be due to the fact that I'm an almost-64-year old man now out of touch with the mindset of a very much younger woman fictionally created by another (presumably) young woman. Well, perhaps I was never in touch with such.However, I do very much admire the clarity and perceptivity Annie displays when describing characters, situations, feelings, and dialogue. If she could keep it going for a full-length novel with a substantive plot, I'd be disposed to read it.Four stars, then, for the potential in Annie's talent. Five stars is something to which she can and should aspire.