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A review by pattydsf
The Ice at the Bottom of the World: Stories by Mark Richard
3.0
I have always been partial to short stories. I am in awe of writers who can tell me about a whole world with just a few pages. Richard is one of those authors. I first encountered him through his autobiography, House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer's Journey Home. In this book, Richard is telling fiction.
Although I am not sure these stories are fiction. Richard has lived a weird life – maybe some of these things happened to him or to people he knows. I have lived in Virginia for almost 35 years – weird things are normal around here. However, if Richard took this stories to a NYC editor and said they had occurred, I suspect that he would have been locked up in the nearest mental facility.
So, I will take the author’s word that these are fiction. That does not mean that truth is absent from these tales. There were times while I was reading that I stopped and thought about what was being said. The characters in these stories have experienced life, sometimes in ways that are hard. Sometimes in ways that are funny. I was always glad I had met these people.
If you like Southern literature, short stories, great writing or just want to be entertained, I recommend Mark Richard’s tales.
Although I am not sure these stories are fiction. Richard has lived a weird life – maybe some of these things happened to him or to people he knows. I have lived in Virginia for almost 35 years – weird things are normal around here. However, if Richard took this stories to a NYC editor and said they had occurred, I suspect that he would have been locked up in the nearest mental facility.
So, I will take the author’s word that these are fiction. That does not mean that truth is absent from these tales. There were times while I was reading that I stopped and thought about what was being said. The characters in these stories have experienced life, sometimes in ways that are hard. Sometimes in ways that are funny. I was always glad I had met these people.
If you like Southern literature, short stories, great writing or just want to be entertained, I recommend Mark Richard’s tales.