Alabama Bound: Contemporary Stories of a State

Alabama may not be known for producing its own William Faulkner or Flannery O'Connor, but Colquitt's anthology seems determined to prove that Southern literature isn't a tradition exclusive to Mississippi and Georgia. As McMillan's introduction explains, the authors, which include Tobias Wolff, Helen Norris, Madison Jones, Barry Hannah and a considerable number of newcomers, are either Alabama natives or have deep ties to the state. Despite those connections and the book's title, regionalism doesn't seem to be the point. More than half of the stories chronicle contemporary domesticity, usually in some state of disrepair. But romance--or romance gone awry--doesn't necessarily constitute regional tradition just because the reader's been told that a neon sign of the Big Star buzzes in the background. Too many of these 28 stories lack setting and concrete characterization. The jilted dimwit husband of Anne George's ``Rumpelstiltskin Was an Abused Child'' is easy and fun to mock partly because he's anonymous and familiar. Hannah's ``Drummer Down'' matches his best short stories, while Jones's ``Zoo'' furthers a distinguished career. These and other authors show that the art of Southern storytelling is still vibrant. (Sept.)