"Nora and the Black Man," by Nona Caspers

Relying on the insulation of a rural Minnesota town, a teenager’s perception of her parents’ fears is at odds with her curious mind that longs to understand complexity and connections rather than the separateness and rigid boundaries of their lives.  The story so well presents this tension that we read the following line with both humor and profound insight:  “Before Nora was born her father had a crush on Dianna Ross.”  The midwest in this story recalls the sensitivity of a writer like Eudora Welty but Capers firmly plants her story in the farming midwest.  Read it here in Cimarron Review.

"I Return," by Mark Brazaitis

The beginning of the third paragraph reads, “So I was dead.” Usually, I’d stop reading at this point. However, the opening paragraphs of the story offered a challenge I was willing to go along with: “…if I died young…I would return to earth as a ghost to look after my wife and children.” There is a wonderful balance in the writing here between fantasy and the real world, and so in the best of the tradition we are lead to believe in the possibilities. What this protagonist realizes about himself, along with humor, disappointment, and compassion, is surprising with a bit of grace tossed in. For an entertaining fantasy and strong story imagery that lingers after reading, click here for Cimarron Review.

"Banyan," by Molly Giles

A ménage a trois is offered up with unexpected ambiguity and unresolved feelings. It’s a story about complex emotions, which in life may scare us and cause us to turn the other way. Mothers may find themselves in embarrassing situations with their teenage daughters whose perceptions may play very differently. Men may act in ways they do not see as sexually suggestive. Teenagers may find themselves longing to grow up but find themselves clinging to stuffed animals for comfort. On a trip to Hawaii, in hopes of rekindling her love relationship, this protagonist finds herself feeling trapped with her family. One beguiling image involves snorkeling and following a woman in a black one-piece suit in the shallow waters inhabited by fish and coral. Read it here in Cimarron Review.