2 New Book Reviews

Issue73_Review_DavidPayne--element218 Issue73_Review_CurtisSmith--element218I recently read and reviewed two very different memoirs, both excellent.

The first is Barefoot to Avalon by David Payne. Novelist Payne’s brother was killed in an auto accident in 2000. Their relationship was complicated, and his brother’s death only added strain to the pressure Payne was already feeling. I describe the memoir as “breathless,” which is how I felt while I was reading it.

The second is Communion by Curtis Smith. I’ve read a number of books by Smith. This one is a wonderful follow-up to his last collection of essays. Both books are meditations on fatherhood, but in the new book Smith’s son is older and the challenges Smith and his wife face are different.

Check out the reviews if you have a chance. I can highly recommend both books.

About the author

I am the author of three novels--THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE, OLIVER'S TRAVELS, and THE SHAMAN OF TURTLE VALLEY--and three story collections--IN AN UNCHARTED COUNTRY, HOUSE OF THE ANCIENTS AND OTHER STORIES, and WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW, winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction. I am also the co-founder and former editor of Prime Number Magazine and the editor of the award-winning anthology series EVERYWHERE STORIES: SHORT FICTION FROM A SMALL PLANET.

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