Further Joy
There’s a lot to like in Brandon’s (A Million Heavens, 2012) first short fiction collection. It is varied in setting, characters, and genres, intensely readable, and enormously entertaining. This master of fictional techniques, including elements of magic realism, never repeats himself, making each of the stories a distinct experience for readers. In the stunning title story, Brandon pulls off describing a group of 15-year-old girls and their fathers without giving a name to anyone in either group. “The Differing Views” introduces readers to the almost-broke Mitchell, deserted by his wealthy girlfriend and left in a rented condo that features seven living brains in the spare room. A deep humanity pervades these stories, which often feature adults or kids in unsettling circumstances not of their own making. In “The Midnight Gales,” a precocious preteen introduces his small town, a strange place without a school or a post office, where people and whole families disappear overnight. Libraries will want to purchase this book for fans of Brandon’s novels and readers of literary fiction. --Ellen Loughran