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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Little stories containing powerful messages, November 5, 2008
This review is from: Little Stories (Hardcover)
The spectrum of the events of life is a broad one and Roberts examines many of them in this collection of 11 short stories. The twin events of birth and death are combined in the story of the birth of a girl at the same time as a grandfather is on his deathbed. Even though the hospital rules prohibit it, the baby is taken to the grandfather's room only hours before he dies. A once promising young man who was afflicted with a severe case of the "drinking lazies" in college is reduced to paying a prostitute for sex and the story ends with him engulfed in a flood of tears of self-pity.
My two favorite stories are about relationships between a man and a woman. The first one is about male and female roommates that sleep in the same bed. When the woman receives a call from an ex-boyfriend she wants to go meet with him, "just to talk." However, when she ends up spending the night with him, she comes back to a very awkward situation. Although they do end up snuggled in bed, nothing can bridge the loneliness gap between them.
In my second favorite, a man and his wife are having marital difficulties and he is taking a bus to spend the weekend with friends. The goal is to spend some time apart in order to get some perspective. While on the bus, the man meets an elderly gentleman who talks about his late wife in very loving terms. This causes him to go back home, yet when he gets there and "surprises" his wife, her reaction to his loving statements is sullen and dismissive.
Life moves on, sometimes we can control events but often we cannot. It is very easy to say that you must "go with the flow", yet that can be a very hard thing to do. In this collection, Roberts depicts people facing the challenges of life, sometimes in control but often just being hit by the flow.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
eff Roberts takes a look at life and the challenges it offers. Roberts demonstrates that we only think we are in control., May 1, 2009
This review is from: Little Stories (Hardcover)
Little Stories is a collection of 11 short stories. Jeff Roberts takes a look at life and the challenges it offers. Roberts demonstrates that we only think we are in control. The best stories are the ones that look at relationships between man and woman. One story discusses a young couple living together, more than roommates--but less than committed. The female spends time with an old flame, forming a rift between the two roommates. In another story, a married couple decides they need to spend time apart. When the husband returns early, his wife does not show the sentiment he expected.
Roberts writes in descriptive manner. He conveys the hurt, confusion, and disappointment his characters experience. Each story expresses the depth of emotion that we each feel when we face a situation gone wrong. After pondering this read, I feel that Jeff Roberts is demonstrating death. Death of a man, death of a pet, death of a relationship, death of trust..... Roberts is an extremely talented author, and we will see more of him in the future.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Painful Portraits of Life, February 24, 2009
This review is from: Little Stories (Hardcover)
Little Stories (Outskirts Press, 2008), Jeff Roberts' first collection of painful portraits of life heralds the arrival of a new voice in modern American writing. Roberts' work, edgy and dark, is the voice of urban America, replete with characters who deeply experience the alienation of modern man.
Cleverly titled, Roberts' stories are nonetheless heart-rending as they portray lonely people striving for an epiphany of meaning. Lost in their loneliness and misery, they are unaware of life beyond the borders of the darkness that surrounds them. These stories are truly a slice of life, but not the suburban, pastoral life of mindlessly happy, complacent people intent on social mobility and expanding mutual fund accounts. Roberts' people are lost in the existential quagmire of striving for love, meaning and a reason to be.
While not all of Roberts' stories reflect modern alienation, most deliver a painful reminder of a misery that even the most content can easily recall. The betrayal in "Relativity" can easily rub salt in old wounds; "Most Likely to Succeed" will stir long forgotten memories. Each story brings a veil of sorrow and the revelation of the disappointment that life can allot, from "Cosette" to "Kisses," and "A Triptych." Throughout the stories, the characters, lonely and largely disillusioned, are haunting, reminding one of dark rainy days and cold cafes.
Noir best describes the mood in most of the stories. One cannot help but feel that no matter what opportunities present themselves, the first person narrator will not escape smoke-filled apartments and dark city streets. Even stories told from a third person point of view cannot break away from the dismal landscape of walk-ups and tenements.
Gritty, dark and existential best describe these vignettes of life. Roberts may well be the new voice of the modern man, lost in the city of despair and despondency. It will be interesting to watch Roberts bloom as a writer. He knows his characters and setting, and it will be interesting to see if he can ever redeem them or himself from the underlying sadness that permeates his work.
Unfortunately, in this reviewer's opinion, editorial oversights keep this first book from achieving a higher rating.
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