As if by Magic

Ribeiro (His Own Man) delivers surprises and pathos in equal measure in this skillful collection of three stories and a novella. In “Remains from the Fair,” a son contends with his father’s Alzheimer’s. “Albatross,” which begins with a deceptively simple premise—a man inherits an island—quickly morphs into an unnerving mystery after the man turns his binoculars on an unhappy couple on a boat docked nearby and sees one of them holding a gun. “Turn of the River” focuses on a gold miner named Skinny Pedro who becomes determined to build and fly his own plane. The novella, “The Magic Eye,” follows an unnamed writer who “knows he has a story to tell” but doesn’t know how to begin. He spends his days with his wife, looking at the world outside their apartment through the peephole on the front door and wondering, “Would the reality on the other side of the door permeate his fiction?” The story takes a bizarre turn when his wife’s dreams start to influence his novel in progress and take over his life. Ribeiro’s mysterious narratives sneak up on the reader with profound revelations. It’s a worthy diversion. (Jan.)