HALL WAYS BLOG'S BOOK REVIEW: Author Francesca Flood leaves readers with plenty to ponder in her new collection, Short Stories with a Twist. Well-written short stories are such a treat to devour, and Flood’s eight quick-hit, poignant pieces have staying power.
From sentient furnishings, Big Brother, and broken people to reincarnation, redemption, and retribution, Flood ushers readers through tales that intentionally force reflection upon us. Whether it’s a what-if scenario or an unsettling realization that the author’s fictitious art mirrors real life, satisfaction is guaranteed in Short Stories with a Twist.
“I invite you to ponder the possibilities that linger in the spaces between the lines. The story ends, and your imagination begins.” – Author Francesca Flood
Short Stories with a Twist starts with the Introduction, which tells readers what to do and how to feel and interpret the forthcoming stories. Perhaps this is because she anticipates some will be unhappy or uncomfortable with the open-endedness of each story’s conclusion. However, placement at the end of the collection would have let us read outside the author’s framework.
As the title implies, each tale does have a delicious and unexpected twist that delights. Author Flood has a way with words and sprinkles just the right layer of figurative language to create worlds and evoke feelings.
The first story, award-winning “Witness,”is a reminder of the impact of bearing silent witness and how little control any of us has. Yet, it shows that even the most minimal efforts can make all the difference.
“So, people just took your post as fact and ran with it?” – from “Picasso”
“Picasso” should feel like science fiction, but it seems all too plausible that government could take technology to the next level and that social media gone wild could have deadly consequences. “Echo” goes from creepy and unsettling to a thoroughly satisfying end that gives rewarding affirmation.
“Like the rest of him, his mouth had become a gaping maw of desolation.” – from “Seed”
“Seed” seriously tugs on the heartstrings and ends with a gut-punch and the most startling ending in the collection. In “Redemption,” readers will go full circle alongside the main character who’s forgotten her roots but finds them in a bittersweet come-uppance.
“There are times, Lord, help me. I’d wished some folks gone from this earth. But if we want a better world, we must start by seeing each other—the hurts, the love, the drive to make life better. That’s where change begins.” – from “Willis”
“Transplant,” set in Austin, Texas, is chock-full of familiar places and bits of foreshadowing to entice. “Willis” is amazing, offering the most quotable gems that sadly, still resonate today, despite the piece’s time range. And one small sentence at the end implies a whole different realm. WOW.
The final story, “The Boy in Room 212,” perfectly finishes Short Stories with a Twist. It is outstanding as it forces readers to think and rethink. It contains so many lessons and so much relevance, and again, that theme of redemption crosses the page and makes a huge, thought-provoking impact.
In Short Stories with a Twist, there is a smattering of typos and errors, which typically would take a discerning reader out of the stories. It’s a nod to the author’s talent for storytelling that they did not in this instance. I assume these will be corrected in the final copy.
“As we come to a greater understanding of ourselves and our place in this world, we judge less, love more, and seek to leave our fingerprint by making this place better.” – Author Francesca Flood
Adding the word “should” before "judge" to the author’s concluding statement above would make this a perfect quote. Whether one accepts the spiritual implication or not, understanding ourselves and our role should be about the needs of others and not ourselves. Even so, the author’s intention, as stated in the Introduction and again in the concluding Author’s Notes, succeeds. All eight of the stories are engaging, and time is well-spent getting lost in the pages of Short Stories with a Twist. Highly recommended reading.
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