Review: The Cookie Dumpster
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 31, 2011
"There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein." - Walter Wellesley "Red" SmithAlthough an overused quote, to the point of becoming clichéd, anyone who has tried writing of any kind also recognizes its truth. It applies to almost any kind of writing. Red Smith was a sportswriter, which doesn't seem that personal, yet all writing, even something as easy as a review, can still feel this way. It is one reason authors sometimes react emotionally when someone doesn't like what they've written.In "The Cookie Dumpster," it feels like Shana Hammaker sat down at her new-fangled typewriter and opened an artery instead. She gives us a glimpse into the people and culture of the homeless, a situation most of us can barely imagine. Hammaker's writing voice or tone seemed different from her fiction, somehow more personal. Maybe this is something I imagined, or possibly that she is telling her own story rather than acting as a go-between for her characters made the voice more authentic. In many ways, this is a story of contradictions, of highs and lows. It is a story of freedom from many of society's norms and of slavery to the requirements of survival. Ultimately, it is a story of overcoming obstacles.If "The Cookie Dumpster" has any faults, it is that I wanted more. The period covered starts and ends at logical and natural points for the story Hammaker wanted to tell. But I can't help thinking there is a prequel and possibly a sequel with much different, although just as compelling, stories to tell.**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **