Grey: Stories for Grown-ups

Britta Santowski is a freelance writer in Victoria.

This collection of 27 stories moves through a cast of characters whose
stories are organized by their chronological age. It begins with the
abstract of infancy. In “Rolling Blue Concrete,” a young narrator
(possibly an infant) visits the zoo, hugs the animals, and sees “hard
pink on grey” as scoops of fallen ice cream melt on concrete. As the
characters age, their stories become more tangible. Three-year-old Bubba
from “In the Car, at the Computer” is still on his mother’s
breast. Darcy, almost seven, runs away from home, rents a cabin, drinks
Scotch, and smokes cigars in “Writer’s Block.”

As the stories moved away from the child, passing through youth and
entering adulthood, I found that they got much more compelling and
interesting. “Is a Man Not a Man If a Man Is a Man” explores the
power of cultural association. “Boygirlhappy” takes the narrow
confines of gender’s limitations and redefines them more broadly. The
most memorable story, “First Day,” delves into the absolute
worst-case scenario of the first day on the job.

In growing old, fears that have been formed become entrenched, as seen
in “The Language of Safety.” As the collection nears its end, the
stories return to a more abstract form of storytelling, thereby
completing the circuit.

This collection of quirky stories is nicely ordered and neatly
delivered. While there is a gentle rhythm of life pulsing throughout,
expect the unexpected.