by Sara Hosey
DIRTY SUBURBIA is a brilliant title for Sara Hosey’s new collection of short stories! I began reading with the expectation the author would expose the underbelly of the suburbs and so shatter the idea they’re a safe haven for the contented, and she did not disappoint.
Instead, her stories bring home the fact that people are people, no matter where they live. Like anywhere else, those who live in the suburbs experience heartache, disappointment, humor, joy, family dysfunction and edgy moments of fear.
While the author shows all of those so well, she excels at illustrating moments that twist enough to send lives offtrack toward new revelations, sometimes happy, sometimes not. One of my favorite stories is that of a 30-something academic chained to caring for her dementia-besieged mother. When the woman finally gets a break to attend a professional retreat in Concord, MA, she meets Henry David Thoreau, or rather, the young man who plays the famous writer and philosopher.
I only allowed myself to read one story a night in order to savor the wonderful characters, themes and descriptions, all of which had a lovely bite amidst the humor and lightness.
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THE FALCON, THE WOLF AND THE HUMMINGBIRD a historical novel
BLISS ROAD, a memoir
WINTER LIGHT, a novel
THE WIND THIEF, a novel
GROWING GREAT CHARACTERS, a resource for writers