Prescriptions for Boredom: Take Two a Day

Clark's story collection features highly descriptive portraits of smalltown life that examine themes such as racism and senility through protagonists ranging from eccentric elderly women to beavers. Throughout, style trumps content and story development, and there are few connections between stories. While Clark demonstrates an excellent command of descriptive language, some of her creative choices are bewildering and presented with little context. While many story collections have a unifying theme (geographic, etc.), this collection seems to have no common motif, which some readers may find frustrating. Additionally, readers may have difficulty becoming emotionally invested in any of the characters. At best, these are snapshots of Midwestern life.