cover image Pieces of Life

Pieces of Life

Larry Fotine. Poly Tone Press, $15.95 (256pp) ISBN 978-0-933830-06-6

Like some pieces of primitive art, the appeal of the two novellas and 14 short stories in this collection lies more in their innocent outlook and absence of pretension than in their execution. The short stories tend to be of the shaggy-dog type. In ""Dolly,'' the bar patron sobbing into his beer over the death of his best friend is, in fact, crying for his dog. The narrator in ``Gold Nuggets,'' out for a morning stroll, becomes involved in a conversation with an eccentric painter. The stroller soon discovers that he has wandered onto the grounds of the local mental institution. The more interesting of the novellas, ``Call Me Lucky,'' tells of an Amish girl shunned by her family for gambling. There is a certain charm to many of these offerings; however, for most readers this will not compensate for the thin character development, pat endings and especially the unpolished prose. (November)