Review: AWKWARD STAGES by Mark Victor Young

Collected Short Fiction - A girl and boy discover the difference between best friends and just friends. The summer before university is the catalyst for some strange longings. A woman wrestles with a difficult insurance claim which resonates with an event from her past. An aging writer gives a career-spanning interview with an unintended revelation. These and other great characters inhabit this collection of short stories which celebrate all of life’s stages.




My thoughts: Awkward Stages chronicles the growing pains of various characters.

In "Crotch Dogs," a boy recalls romantic feelings for a girl in the midst of a strange dog-crotch-licking theory.

And there may be some "Practical Uses of Voodoo in the Workplace" after all.

For me, these tales were particularly dry and banal. At some point I wondered what the deal was with these people. They were definitely undergoing some "awkward stages" here. A solid effort was evident in the writing, but even that got a little awkward sometimes.

My rating: 2 stars