A review by bookishactor
Dead Reckoning: and Other Stories by Dino Parenti

4.0

Dead Reckoning and Other Stories by Dino Parenti is a fascinating short story collection of “dark literary tales” (from the back cover). The book is divided into five sections, each containing stories taking place in a different time period (70s, 80s, 90, 000s, and what comes after). The stories range in content, but many are tangentially interconnected as a character from one story is revealed to be a relative of another. Throughout the book themes of generational trauma and the impact of violence, crime, and disease are witnessed through both life and the passage of time. Parenti structures many of his stories with past and present weaving back and forth creating a feeling of memory in both an individual life, a family, and ultimately the entire human species. Recurring elements appear across decades (and more) as humans grapple with the experience of living on this place in the context of what has come before, charging toward what may eventually come. In many of Parenti’s stories the events almost seem to possess a certain inevitably, with a few tales seeming to radiate with the energy of an ancient Greek tragedy. Some of my favorite stories in this collection included the title story, as well as Puffer Fish, Tooth, Surge, and The Mother-of-pearl Way. Ultimately there were a few stories I didn’t like as well as some of the others, in some cases I thought elements of the plot weren’t totally clear or just didn’t add up. Additionally Parenti writes in a beautiful and “literary” prose far more sophisticated than what I am accustomed to reading. While often poetic, sometimes this style of writing challenged my suspension of disbelief as I found myself thinking “no one talks that way” or otherwise noting that the language seemed overwritten, which pulled me out of the story. Despite these criticisms I enjoyed this collection and found I couldn’t get parts of it out if my head (hypochondriacs, consider this your content warning). Probably more so than with any other collection I’ve read, these stories seem to belong together and form something greater than the sum of their parts. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️