A Sharp Bend in the Road is a collection of seventeen short stories. The stories follow a diverse cast of characters: Diamond dealers, a woman being placed in a retirement home, a young boy in a hospital, a young woman who talks to inanimate objects, murderous ex-spouses, omnipotent secret organizations, etc.
For me, a lot of the stories fell flat. They build up for a few pages, and then hit you with a punch line of an ending, but ultimately I was left unsatisfied. It was almost like the stories were working up to some sort of twist ending, but the ending wasn't really a twist. It was more so a neat idea the author thought of but couldn't quite fit a complete story behind. The worst offender of this was the longest story in the collection The Long Ride, which lived up to its title as being a too long story with one dimensional characters and a predictable ending. There are two stories, Tattoo and It Wasn't Me, that are just long form jokes. And not good ones either.
That said, there are still a few gems in the collection. A Process of Elimination, The Organization, and Yesterday, Thomas Was a Tree. A Process of Elimination and Thomas really get you into the mind of the main character. The plot may not blow you away, but the characterization is great, and in the case of Thomas, heartfelt and sincere. The Organization was kind of the opposite. The main characters involved are forgettable, but the way they travel through the story's world is wonderful and imaginative. Also, The Spirit of Christmas, while kitschy, was an enjoyable read that left me wanting for Christmas in August. In total, the four stories mentioned in this paragraph make up about 30% of the collection.
This collection could be great. A lot of the stories have potential, but get lost along the way in search of a good ending. The Long Ride is a prime example. It has a very interesting main character, but the story the character lives in doesn't live up to her potential. Overall, I would rate this as a good read. At times great, and at times just disappointing.
Rating: 3/5
You can find A Sharp Bend in the Road at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Sharp-Bend-Road-Intriguing-Stories-ebook/dp/B00S50CY7O/
And Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24442341-a-sharp-bend-in-the-road
For me, a lot of the stories fell flat. They build up for a few pages, and then hit you with a punch line of an ending, but ultimately I was left unsatisfied. It was almost like the stories were working up to some sort of twist ending, but the ending wasn't really a twist. It was more so a neat idea the author thought of but couldn't quite fit a complete story behind. The worst offender of this was the longest story in the collection The Long Ride, which lived up to its title as being a too long story with one dimensional characters and a predictable ending. There are two stories, Tattoo and It Wasn't Me, that are just long form jokes. And not good ones either.
That said, there are still a few gems in the collection. A Process of Elimination, The Organization, and Yesterday, Thomas Was a Tree. A Process of Elimination and Thomas really get you into the mind of the main character. The plot may not blow you away, but the characterization is great, and in the case of Thomas, heartfelt and sincere. The Organization was kind of the opposite. The main characters involved are forgettable, but the way they travel through the story's world is wonderful and imaginative. Also, The Spirit of Christmas, while kitschy, was an enjoyable read that left me wanting for Christmas in August. In total, the four stories mentioned in this paragraph make up about 30% of the collection.
This collection could be great. A lot of the stories have potential, but get lost along the way in search of a good ending. The Long Ride is a prime example. It has a very interesting main character, but the story the character lives in doesn't live up to her potential. Overall, I would rate this as a good read. At times great, and at times just disappointing.
Rating: 3/5
You can find A Sharp Bend in the Road at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Sharp-Bend-Road-Intriguing-Stories-ebook/dp/B00S50CY7O/
And Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24442341-a-sharp-bend-in-the-road