Philly Phiction

For Christmas, I received Philly Fiction, a collection of short stories about the city I love written by a plethora of characters from aroudn the world, all with ties to the “City of Brotherly Love”. Rather than take this book on from beginning to end, I began by reading the author bios in the back of the book and choosing the stories of the writers that interested me most. Gradually, I read all of the stories and enjoyed them to varying degrees… here are some notes on my 3 favorite stories.

Michael Aronovitz’s “The Big Picture” is about a moment in time every parent must face… the moment where your child asks you if there really is a Santa Claus. Michael’s recounting of having this talk with his son, Max, is a fantastic story about a child growing up and a parent’s duty to address life’s big questions. What made this story hit home was an amazing Philly analogy that stuck with me:

“Dad?”
“Yeah.”
“Why do they tell us there’s a Santa?”
I sighed.
“Because it gives us something to hang onto, Max. It’s called faith. It’s nice to believe in something . I guess we make up stuff for the people who need it most. Kind of like the Eagles, you know? We always believe they can win a Super Bowl even though they never do.”

BJ Burton’s “Alexandra in the Middle of the Night” is the story of a woman who has been in and out of some awful relationships. This tale of a wounded woman and the asshole lying in the bed next to her is written in a way that pulls you into her life in a meer couple of pages. A seemingly realistic and true story, we are left with the sudden realization that this may be a woman on the brink.

Josh McIlvain‘s “Health Insurance and the Girl” is bascially a well-written soft core porn. Needless to say, it’s hard to stop reading once you start. One of, if not the, most lewd and forward stories in the compendium, it present a protagonist with an affinity for horny Med students in residency at any of Philly’s renowned teaching hospitals. It’s hard not to be turned on (whether you are male or female) when reading this story… but I must admit that one part turned me off just a bit. Why, oh why, would anyone read Lord Jim for pleasure? Honestly, that book is simply painful.

Philly, what are you waiting for? Get your copy today.

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~ by thepaintedman on February 3, 2011.