"She is home to Great Plains and even greater rivers, shining towns and people of soul. Her winters are ice-chest bitter, her summers alive with thunder and twisters. Deserts and dust-devils, cottonwoods and corn fields all sing the harmonies of gospel, the melodies of country and the rhythm of the blues, in this church of love and loss. Hers is a bright light slowly fading. She is America's Heartland. These are her stories. Heart Land is a novel of inter-connected stories spanning generations, all set in the American Midwest."
This is an anthology of short stories, some incredibly short and over before they barely start. They are all set in the Midwest. As one leads to the next you will notice mention of characters from the stories that came before. Most notably in "The Swing" which was my favorite story about Sue Ellen, the little girl from the first story "Last Storm First" now as a grown woman who finds and reads a journal written by her husband long after he is gone. It is a sad tale of loss and regret, as is "Dan 4 Danica" a story about Dan Rensburg, a boy in junior high labeled as "dummy Dan" ever since elementary school and obsessed with Danica Patrick the race car driver. Dan wishes he were smarter like his sister or brother (The brother who is in the next story "A Single Word") "Kaitlin's On The Corner" at first seemed to be entirely about a pubescent boy's masturbatory habits and fantasies up until the end which was a heck of a twist. This was an enjoyable read. I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars.
I received a complimentary copy for review.
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