Rabid Reader's Reviews

Publication Date: October 25, 2013

 

Three short stories addressing death, child abuse and strength in the face of incredible odds. The stories contained are “Samburger and Flies,” “Eli and Ralph” and “This is Me.” These stories are difficult to read, powerfully written, emotionally draining and awesome. Frayn’s writing is flawless. There is nothing with which I can find fault. Frayn gives us a glimpse into a world that might seem bleak but is not without heroes.

 

 

I won’t give away anything about “Samburger and Flies” except that upon reaching the end I put my e-reader down fighting a denial that I had read what I’d read. It was horrible and brutal and SO GOOD.

“Eli and Ralph” is a soul ripping story about an abusive father that is enabled by a caring but fear-laden mother. Eli’s friend, Ralph, is a purple balloon and the story is told from Ralph’s perspective. Taking the story from the main characters doesn’t rob it of its impact. Frayn doesn’t exploit her characters for brutality’s sake; she doesn’t need to do so. Her perfectly elegant and economical writing style gives us a short tale that packs a punch, as do all of her stories.

“This is Me” feels like a deeply personal story for Frayn. It is the tale of a woman fighting breast cancer. Frayn’s own experience with her sister’s struggle (see Carolyn Frayn’s blog at artofbreastcancer.ca—writing talent runs in the family) appears to shine through the narrative leaving a mark of deeply personal. She conveys grief and pain and a will to live those tears into the reader leaving them feeling drained but enriched in a way that makes us feel that we should look more closely at the world.

Julie Frayn is an author to watch. She has a talent that if all were right in the world would earn her instant classic status. Check out this talented author today.

[easyazon-link asin=”B00G7UULSS” locale=”us”]A Trilogy of Unrelated Shorts[/easyazon-link] is free on Smashwords.

Click here to read my review of [easyazon-link asin=”0991851013″ locale=”us”]Suicide City, a Love Story[/easyazon-link], a book that I listed as one of the Best of 2013. Click here to read my review of [easyazon-link asin=”099185103X” locale=”us”]It Isn’t Cheating if He’s Dead[/easyazon-link].

For more information about Julie Frayn and her work visit her website. You can connect with Julie Frayn on Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter @juliefrayn.