cover image The Lovers Set Down Their Spoons

The Lovers Set Down Their Spoons

Heather A. Slomski. Univ. of Iowa, $16 trade paper (146p) ISBN 978-1-60938-282-7

The characters in this debut story collection from Slomski, winner of the 2014 Iowa Short Fiction Award, may have wandered out of an Edward Hopper painting for all their quiet, lonely dignity. The titular lovers are merely a distraction, sitting one table over from the narrator, who is calmly trying to hold it together through an uncomfortable dinner with her husband and another couple. A woman breaks up with her boyfriend after attending an art gallery opening in “Correction.” In “Octaves,” an old man is reminded of domestic squabbles at his corner store. Though civility pervades in the 15 stories, some of which are only a page or two in length, all this composure has a dampening effect on the characters. In “Neighbors,” we peek behind the curtains to find smart people disagreeing reasonably—Finn, a set designer, is comforted that “he had planned every detail,” and only upset because eventually “he’d have to take the set apart, dismantling his flawless, unmarred world.” The same could be said for Slomski: she finds a way to get strong and interesting characters in a room together, but it feels like a bit more oxygen should be let in. (Oct.)