The collection opens with a section dedicated to “What Ifs”, titled “History” and a delightful tale of vengeance, “Sally and Thomas.” The title characters are Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson. Readers, I will leave you to discover the thrill of this tale yourselves, but know that it remits a great deal of satisfaction. Other sections are themed, “Love”, “Need”, “Excess”, and “Final Acts”, the last of which offers a fictionalized glimpse into the lives of certain long-dead celebrities. Some stories are lengthy, though not exceeding more than a reasonable ten or twelve pages; some are flash fiction, punchy bites of a few paragraphs (or less!) Most depict landscapes and characters amply familiar to ourselves: “Speed dating”, “Must Sell”, and “Online Doctor” for example. We know the people in these pages (perhaps they are ourselves, or perhaps we hope they are not) and all their flaws and funny quirks. Most of these stories are hilarious photo-realistic caricatures.

Some tales are surprisingly sobering, offering readers a respite from their giggles; but these tales might hit closer to home than one expects. This may be Clark’s special skill as an author; the subject matter of some stories is dark and perhaps triggering for some readers (sexual assault and gaslighting), but Clark delivers these messages with both humor and a powerful, succinct punch. The result is that the reader is disarmed by their own humor and left with a fading whisper of a giggle to assuage them in the aftermath of the trauma they’ve just witnessed the characters experience. In other words, the reader may find themselves smiling, recognizing the landscape of the story — and then, BAM, Clark delivers a coup d’etat, and the reader may then feel a little guilty for having laughed only a moment before. It is a rare skill to cause a reader to twist internally and Clark does it well several times in this collection. This is not a collection of tales for the sensitive or morally righteous reader. Be prepared to say, “Oh. I didn’t think this was headed that way.”

Clark’s voice is that of a matured storyteller, and it is unique. Fans of Neil Gaiman may recognize the confidence and the trace of dry humor. Fans of Margaret Atwood will appreciate Clark’s wit. Fans of speculative fiction in the vein of Ted Chiang will notice Clark’s imaginative approaches to things that never happened.

What a nice way to get back in the saddle.

The author really captured the voices of each of his characters which was a delight and unexpected. The titular character had the same voice as I recall reading from her diaries back many long years ago. The other characters from Putin to Dolly Parton to Elvis are all covered here and with seemingly great care to not disrupt their professional spirit.

This is an easy read and a fun journey into what could be, could have been and what a character can be in a short story.

I really enjoyed it and it was a great reminder that a terrifically told story doesn’t have to be a huge diatribe. It can be a few paragraphs for the point of the story to be made. What a treat.

Markie B, Reviewer