The Art of Short Story
This is Neil Smith’s debut book of 9 short stories. It’s somewhat uneven, like most books of short fiction. Some of the stories were gems and a couple duds.
I especially enjoyed “The B9ers”, the story of a support group for people who had benign tumors. Yes, you read write, the non-lethal variety of tumor. This story was both humorous and touching.
Another story I enjoyed was the title story, “Bang Crunch”. It’s the touching story about a girl born with Fred Hoyle syndrome. First she ages rapidly and then goes backward, back to an embryo again.
There were only 2 stories that I didn’t care for at all. “Green Fluorescent Protein” and “Extremities”. They were just too “out there” for me.
Neil Smith is a strong writer. He writes with sensitivity and wicked humour. Though I didn’t like all the stories in this collection, I highly recommend it. The stories I enjoyed were well worth the time!
3.5/5
Note: If you have also reviewed this book, please feel free to post you link in the comments. I will then add it to the end of my review.
