Review: Lost Among the Saguaro
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 4, 2012
What a beautiful collection this is. Haunting tales. A certain loneliness and desolation permeates through them, much like the desert landscape itself. But unlike the desert, these stories are not dry. They are an oasis of lush and fertile pages, rich with vibrant characters and beautiful language. The first tale, "Desert Rain," is the only one of the three that could be considered a genre piece, and Grindstaff does an excellent job of painting a chilling horror story of a woman revisited yearly by a demon who is intent on marrying her. Only Cordelia doesn't intend to go quietly.In "Desert Walk," we meet a man who has lost all his money, his house, and his wife. He takes a long trek through the desert as a way to redeem himself, and nearly loses his life. But it isn't so much the plot but the clever way that Grindstaff unfolds it through the use of juxtapositions in time and place that makes the story such a great read. It's a story that asks to consider what we might gain when we've lost everything.And finally, in "Desert Nights," we learn why teenagers, alcohol, and guns are probably not such a good idea as a group of friends gathers for a late night party under at their favorite desert haunt under the power lines to mourn of one of their mates who died in an accident. What I appreciated most about this story was how very distinct the characters were. It's very hard to develop such a wide cast of people in a short story, but Grindstaff does it almost effortlessly.Sonoran Dreams is the work of someone who knows exactly what he's doing, who paints beautiful pictures with the skill and ease of a seasoned artist. Pick this up and lose yourself among the saguaro for awhile. You'll be glad you did.