Reviews

H. Nigel Thomas

0 comments
Spread the love

Two of the stories are about artists. “The Hours In-Between,” where the detective Julius McDuff from And Sometimes They Fly reappears, focuses on finding a motive for the suicide of Jeffrey James, literary novelist, turned writer of “police procedurals.” McDuff, who is also Jeffrey’s friend and informal student, is at Jeffrey’s home, the suicide scene. Along with the police he is trying to come up with a motive for the suicide. The story soon turns to reflections on another suicide: Mittelholzer’s self-immolation. No motive is found, not even McDuff, who believes he can communicate with the dead, finds one. But Sandiford provides clues. There’s the comfortable house which Jeffrey sacrificed his vocation to acquire and maintain. Some truths hold across millennia: gain at the expense of one’s soul is of little worth.

The other story, “Dance a Little,” contrasts with the first. Gary Spellman, upon hearing about the death of Michael Jackson and his father’s admiration for the military genius of Lt Lance, decides to leave everything behind and live for his art. He is fifty. The story comes with a note of caution, however. Lt Lance, for all his military genius—his ability to get his lost men safely out of the desert—died a drunk in an almshouse. Michael Jackson’s death was almost as inglorious. But Jackson and Lance had “guts” and exemplified it, and Spellman thinks the time has come for him to prove to himself that he does too.
There are two stories where the reader’s attention focuses on language. “Thick ‘n’ Thin” is written completely in Barbadian, a first for Sandiford. The other story, “Mobbed by the BBC,” draws our attention to what’s left out when we translate or even paraphrase another’s language.
This collection offers some lovable characters dealing with grim aspects of existence, beautiful prose, and many moments for reflection on life’s enigmas and complexity.

Pages: 1 2

Leave a Comment

x  Powerful Protection for WordPress, from Shield Security
This Site Is Protected By
ShieldPRO
Skip to toolbar