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ellen_stratton2021's review
5.0
Knowing Santino [Tino], and growing with his writing through the three years I spent at University with him, I am so proud of how far he has come. When ‘Dots’ landed in my hands (a signed copy by the way), I couldn’t wait to start – and I was sucked in straight away.
The imagination of the pieces gripped my attention immediately, causing me to continue on through the collection, eager for more humour – more gripping detail. Each flash story contains a truth about human nature and how obsessed with certain things we are (Netflix…), while also encompassing the fascination of life and how people play out their roles in society.
“He’s pretending nothing has happened, but I can see everything that we once were in his eyes, and when Sophie introduces Stan as her new boyfriend I begin to wonder how much more complicated this is going to become.” [1]
As an Introduction to the collection, this flash perfectly sums up the complications of life, and the foreshadowing of more to come from this short but perfect beginning. I can place myself in this person’s shoes, imagine the torment and heart-wrenching emotions that they could be experiencing. This person is no longer fictional – they’ve come alive in the writing; which can be said of each flash that Tino has collected together.
“I think she’s tired of unanswered prayers. […] God may have a plan, but so does she.” [2]
The small glimpse into someone’s life reflects what we see each and everyday in our own. We watch people going about their business, and can only assume what they are thinking and feeling. Tino’s insight into what could be in that person’s mind at that point is extremely realistic, revealing the human race to be not as innocent as we make out; every one has their problems and secrets – and sometimes it’s the people you least suspect.
Tino’s way of writing is very easy to follow, sliding off the tongue with ease. Each word I read, I want to say out loud and just enjoy every moment of it. Phrases such as “the concrete tongue into the belly of the leafless forest” has such power in so little words, I close my eyes and can see straight away this contradiction of place, and the connection they hold.
One flash in particular that has always succeeded in leaving me with a sense of disarmament – and it would be wrong not to mention it – is ‘Just Like Mummy’. When I first read this flash, it was on a post on Facebook (another obsession of ours!), and as I read it, the tears were streaming down my face. The basis of this flash is about a little girl who wanted to be just like her mother. She copies everything her mother does, even the horrific tragedy that post natal depression brings on towards the end. The image of innocence and naivety doing something so devastating and out of character is something that definitely pulled on my heart strings. This piece, followed by the final flash ‘Losing Her For Her’, is a flawless combination of the corruption of innocence. Not only in the child in the penultimate flash, but of the mother and her own state of self.
“You won’t understand until you have a daughter of your own, until you look at her and realise you lost your innocence so she could have hers.”[3]
The sad reality that everyone goes through – not only women – to produce a new form of innocence sharply contrasts with ‘Just Like Mummy’, when the mother unknowingly betrays her daughter and creates a warped sense of morality for the little girl.
Throughout the collection, Tino takes us on a journey through many lives, some that reflect our own, and some that reveal a haunting truth about our species. I feel like my own naive and innocent outlook of the world has changed, forcing me to see things I’d rather ignore – which, I am sure, was the purpose of ‘Dots and Other Flashes of Perceptions’.
Here’s a few other reviews to convince you to buy your own copy:
“Santino Prinzi’s engaging, well-paced stories combine the contemporary moment of Netflix and Facebook with the timeless struggles in human relationships. Sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous, always insightful, Dots shows Prinzi’s promise as a great storyteller.” – Carrie Etter
“Reading one of Santino Prinzi’s stories is like watching a master stonemason at work. He carves his stories, with fine strokes of a chisel composed of words. At the end he leaves a breathless sculpture, standing solid and immovable in the mind.” – Calum Kerr
Don’t forget it’s available on Amazon – it’s on Kindle too, how much easier could it get??
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dots-flashes-perception-Prinzi-Santino-ebook/dp/B01KQQ83QA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478633264&sr=8-1&keywords=santino+prinzi+dots
[1] Dots, ‘Introduction’, p. 1
[2] Dots, ‘The Kingdom You Were Born In’, p. 2
[3] Dots, ‘Losing Her for Her’, p. 73
The imagination of the pieces gripped my attention immediately, causing me to continue on through the collection, eager for more humour – more gripping detail. Each flash story contains a truth about human nature and how obsessed with certain things we are (Netflix…), while also encompassing the fascination of life and how people play out their roles in society.
“He’s pretending nothing has happened, but I can see everything that we once were in his eyes, and when Sophie introduces Stan as her new boyfriend I begin to wonder how much more complicated this is going to become.” [1]
As an Introduction to the collection, this flash perfectly sums up the complications of life, and the foreshadowing of more to come from this short but perfect beginning. I can place myself in this person’s shoes, imagine the torment and heart-wrenching emotions that they could be experiencing. This person is no longer fictional – they’ve come alive in the writing; which can be said of each flash that Tino has collected together.
“I think she’s tired of unanswered prayers. […] God may have a plan, but so does she.” [2]
The small glimpse into someone’s life reflects what we see each and everyday in our own. We watch people going about their business, and can only assume what they are thinking and feeling. Tino’s insight into what could be in that person’s mind at that point is extremely realistic, revealing the human race to be not as innocent as we make out; every one has their problems and secrets – and sometimes it’s the people you least suspect.
Tino’s way of writing is very easy to follow, sliding off the tongue with ease. Each word I read, I want to say out loud and just enjoy every moment of it. Phrases such as “the concrete tongue into the belly of the leafless forest” has such power in so little words, I close my eyes and can see straight away this contradiction of place, and the connection they hold.
One flash in particular that has always succeeded in leaving me with a sense of disarmament – and it would be wrong not to mention it – is ‘Just Like Mummy’. When I first read this flash, it was on a post on Facebook (another obsession of ours!), and as I read it, the tears were streaming down my face. The basis of this flash is about a little girl who wanted to be just like her mother. She copies everything her mother does, even the horrific tragedy that post natal depression brings on towards the end. The image of innocence and naivety doing something so devastating and out of character is something that definitely pulled on my heart strings. This piece, followed by the final flash ‘Losing Her For Her’, is a flawless combination of the corruption of innocence. Not only in the child in the penultimate flash, but of the mother and her own state of self.
“You won’t understand until you have a daughter of your own, until you look at her and realise you lost your innocence so she could have hers.”[3]
The sad reality that everyone goes through – not only women – to produce a new form of innocence sharply contrasts with ‘Just Like Mummy’, when the mother unknowingly betrays her daughter and creates a warped sense of morality for the little girl.
Throughout the collection, Tino takes us on a journey through many lives, some that reflect our own, and some that reveal a haunting truth about our species. I feel like my own naive and innocent outlook of the world has changed, forcing me to see things I’d rather ignore – which, I am sure, was the purpose of ‘Dots and Other Flashes of Perceptions’.
Here’s a few other reviews to convince you to buy your own copy:
“Santino Prinzi’s engaging, well-paced stories combine the contemporary moment of Netflix and Facebook with the timeless struggles in human relationships. Sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous, always insightful, Dots shows Prinzi’s promise as a great storyteller.” – Carrie Etter
“Reading one of Santino Prinzi’s stories is like watching a master stonemason at work. He carves his stories, with fine strokes of a chisel composed of words. At the end he leaves a breathless sculpture, standing solid and immovable in the mind.” – Calum Kerr
Don’t forget it’s available on Amazon – it’s on Kindle too, how much easier could it get??
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dots-flashes-perception-Prinzi-Santino-ebook/dp/B01KQQ83QA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478633264&sr=8-1&keywords=santino+prinzi+dots
[1] Dots, ‘Introduction’, p. 1
[2] Dots, ‘The Kingdom You Were Born In’, p. 2
[3] Dots, ‘Losing Her for Her’, p. 73
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