The Green Lantern & Other Stories

Bittersweet images of post-WWII California pervade this collection of 11 short stories that are, at their best, quietly poignant and, at their worst, simply precious. Six solid and appealing tales chronicle the upbringing of lonely Delia Harper in rural, agricultural southeastern California's Imperial Valley of the early 1950s, where her father runs the Green Lantern Motel. Delia's unhappy mother leaves them, and her rugged father finds himself in a difficult new role. Curious Delia explores her vast world, from the sugarbeet fields and fauna to the varied guests in the motel's cabins. Smart writes lovingly of the region's natural beauty and evokes a child's-eye view of Delia's small discoveries, good and bad. The remaining five stories also touch on themes of parent-child relationships and untraditional family lives, but they are often heavy-handed. In ""Posing,"" a woman at a San Francisco art museum meets a gay man who claims to have been ill-treated while posing for an artist whose work is being displayed. She is reminded of her own gay son and hopes for his happiness. ""Emily"" is the name of little Shelley's favorite doll. Her father's mother makes her bury Emily because she's ""ugly"" and ""from a heathen race."" She seems to wish she could likewise dispose of Shelley's mother, who is Jewish. But these stories are contrived and never come to life the way Delia does in her sad, beautiful world of childhood. (Jan.)