Staten Island Noir

by Patricia Smith (Editor/Author), Bill Loehfelm, Mike Penncavage

Brand-new stories by: Bill Loehfelm, S.J. Rozan, Ted Anthony, Todd Craig, Ashley Dawson, Bruce DeSilva, Louisa Ermelino, Binnie Kirshenbaum, Michael Largo, Mike Penncavage, Linda Nieves-Powell, Patricia Smith, Shay Youngblood, and Edward Joyce.

"Staten Island, the last of New York City's five boroughs to enter Akashic's noir series, serves as the setting for this exceptionally strong anthology."
--Publishers Weekly *Starred Review*

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Mystery, New York, Noir, Crime, Novels

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Chuck Barksdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’m not sure why Staten Island is the borough bringing up the rear in Akashic Books’ Noir Series (okay, okay, yes I am), but here we are, the shiny coin in New York’s back pocket. (You can’t really buy anything with it, but throwing it away would definitely bring bad luck.) We will prove that SI is as rotten, vengeful, unforgiving and badass as any one of its quartet of brothers.” –Patricia Smith

Akhasic Books’ latest collection of new Noir stories for New York City is Staten Island Noir, with 13 stories based on various parts of the island and one on the ferry. As noted above by the editor, Staten Island is the last of the boroughs to get a collection and these stories do show a noir side of Staten Island that definitely deserves the collection it finally has. This is another great collection of stories in this enjoyable series of city based noir collections.

As typical of these collections, the stories are provided in one of three sections – Family Affair, Fight or Flight and Borough of Broken Dreams. Although I enjoyed stories in each section, I enjoyed the five stories in the Family Affair section the best. My favorite in this section and in the entire book is the first story, “Snake Hill,” by Bill Loehfelm. I had seen Loehfelm, who grew up in Staten Island, at Bouchercon in Cleveland and was interested in reading something by him (and recently picked up a copy of his first book Fresh Kills). I was glad to see his story was so good. His story is about two brothers rushing to drive home before their curfew and what they decide to do when they accidentally hit a pedestrian. I also really enjoyed the story “When They Are Done with Us” by Patricia Smith (also the editor of the collection), a story told from the perspective of Jo, a woman struggling to get by that has started writing poetry while trying to avoid her often drunken and racist teenage son. This was really another great story and in re-checking it for this review, maybe it was my favorite. I also felt that “Sister-in-Law” by Louisa Emerlino and “A Users Guide to Keeping Your Kills Fresh” by Ted Anthony were very good.

My favorite story in the Fight or Flight section was “Mistakes” by Michael Penncavage, a story about a bachelor party told in the rare second person. Here’s a short excerpt to show how it is presented in the story.

“You all dutifully follow through the security checkpoints. They check IDs and pat down each of you for weapons. You’ve made it this far without getting separated. No sense in starting now.”

What I like about it is that it really makes the reader (“you”) a part of the story, similar to a first person, but not exactly the same. In the story, the guys travel from one place to another before returning to Staten Island on the ferry. Of course, they do get into some trouble along the way.

None of the stories in the Borough of Broken Dreams section were my favorites, although all were good, including “The Fly-Ass Puerto Girl from Stapleton Projects” by Linda Nieves-Powell, “Teenage Wasteland” by Ashley Dawson and the creepy and atypical S.J. Rozan story “Lighthouse.”

As I mentioned in my review of Kansas City Noir, I have been collecting these Noir collections for the past 2 years and giving them out as gifts but this book was only the third one I had read myself. Although I have been in New York City several times (mostly Manhattan and the Bronx (Yankees)), similar to Kansas City, I had never been in Staten Island. However, whereas in Kansas City Noir, I did not feel as though I gained much knowledge about the way Kansas City is, I definitely felt as though the authors of Staten Island Noir did a very good job of portraying the sense of the borough through the characters and landmarks.

As is the other Noir short story collections, this book also includes a short biography and photo of each author at the end of the book. Since many of these authors are not that well known it was helpful to learn more about them and where to get even more information, especially since several are not primarily crime fiction authors

Overall, I really enjoyed the stories in this collection and even better than the ones in Kansas City Noir.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always thought that New Jersey was the forgotten borough, but after reading Staten Island Noir, I know I'm wrong - it's Staten Island.

I'd had this vision of Staten Island as a 365 day oceanside resort, filled with fresh air and beautiful views. A place of smart homes giving shelter to commuters traveling the Staten Island Expressway or the trains. Resort it's not, with the Island's marshes more like the Jersey Meadowlands - filled in with garbage dumps and dead bodies.

Editor Patricia Smith has curated a remarkable set of writers to present their versions of Staten Island - you'll find fear, despair, hopelessness, and disolution from those who can't seem to escape the Island and their empty existence: Ermelino's Sister-in-Law is devastating, and Ted Anthony's A User's Guide is impossibly horrible. There's the ridiculous too - I love the wackiness of Todd Craig's Spy Verse Spy, and the sweet, weird nostalgia of Eddie Joyce's Before It Hardens and Nieves-Powell's The Fly-Ass Puerto Girl.

As always, the introduction to an Akashic Noir work is well worth reading, and Patricia Smith's sets the perfect tone of defensiveness, pride and humility.

Kudos Akashic!

--Ashland Mystery

[Priscilla Herrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patricia Smith has long been one of my favorite poets, but she does other literary work as well, including editing (and contributing to) Staten Island Noir. Smith is currently a professor at the College of Staten Island and has apparently been busy absorbing the flavor and culture of this NYC borough. At any rate, it's a terrific collection of dark stories - crime, sure, and also mysterious, dark and all-too-plausible - all taking place somewhere on Staten Island. Each story is unique which adds to the strength of the collection.

[Kim Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of stories showing Staten Island's dark side. The island itself exerts an influence on its inhabitants, often stifling to the point of madness. Having lived there, I often feel like the tale of two cities DeBlasio is always talking about is right there on the Island. The great divide between the haves and have nots is delineated by neighborhood. Yes, there are projects on Staten Island, quite a lot in fact. There are also houses and mansions in very different neighborhoods. There's a feeling of being out of time there and SI has an insidious way of making you want to leave but lulling you into a comfortable rut at the same time. This book brought back all these feelings and memories of a one-time Staten Islander. It's a place that lends itself perfectly to this series and is as an integral character on each piece as the people themselves.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh home sweet home,

I described the book to my friends as if Quentin Tarantino wrote a book and The characters were from The Sopranos.

I grew up on "the island" before moving to various parts of the city as an adult. I took so much enjoyment in being able to pinpoint every single street corner and neighborhood, understanding every little nuance.

Aside from my personal affair with Staten Island which ultimately enhanced my reading experience, I truly enjoyed the well-written short stories, all dark, many WTF moments , some sad, some a little bit funny.

While it's not a full representation of the island, it's still a fun read. This was the first book in The Akashic Noir series I read, and I look forward to making my way through the city and beyond.

[Russ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the variety, so impressed by the ability of the writers to convey so many nuances within a short story format. I could taste, feel, smell the scenes, and, more importantly, Staten Island. Truly a sense of place conveyed collectively by the end. I definitely plan to explore further locations in this series, an armchair traveler/sociologist indeed!

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really Awesome, especially the works by Patricia Smith (literally had me frozen in consideration for an hour post-read) and Michael Penncavage.

[Smi4ever2 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok. Some stories were more interesting than others. It was fun reading about Staten Island streets and neighborhoods.

[Jenni Pertuset]

Nothing wrong with it, just not my bag and I’m in the middle of 4 other books with an infinite TBR list.

[obs20 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Staten Island is a place that has it's own vibe. I can arrest to that as I
I lived there for five years.

[Think-On-It]

If you'd like to know what I thought of this book, please contact me directly and I'd be happy to discuss it with you.

All the best,

- TB

[Marie Michaels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noir and Staten Island seem like natural cousins; it's a wonder there's not more of it set here. I suppose that's because it's the forgotten borough, but this anthology really convinced me of the noir potential of SI. This anthology captures the unique mixture of suburban and urban aspects of Staten Island and injects grittiness and atmosphere that really sells it (I'm not from SI, but my husband is, and I've spent a good deal of time there). I think what I found most impressive about these stories was how they created a very real sense of place and setting and history.

The bleakness of some of these stories did weigh on me. I would have liked too to see a wider view of SI; although these are set in different neighborhoods, a depressing sameness tended to permeate them. I know noir is dark, but where there's so much despair, stories that should sent me reeling just left me cold. I was torn between 3 and 4 stars but went with 3 because I just couldn't think back to any that stood out and left a big impression on me. I'd say 3.5 if Goodreads allowed half stars.

But overall I enjoyed this collection; it was an incredibly quick read by some talented authors.

[Tuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

some pretty great stories in here about the chip on the shoulder of si, about the feeling of inadequecy stuck between the hell of west new jersey and diamonds of west manhattan. so there's quite a bit to the theme of acting out in seemingly asinine and unpredictable ways, but in cruel and unexpected ways, like burning your kids up in the apartment cause dad's a beast, or killing your fuckup hitman brother, cause, well, that's business, or jumping off a cliff cause some tibetan monsters tell you to, or maybe patricia was just calling these in?

[Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm on a noir kick these days. since my knowledge of staten island is limited to a cliche bad rep and the orange ferry tooling across the river, it was a treat to read this collection of stories. do pick it up.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

These short stories are full of twists and turns. I will never look at Staten Island the same way again.

[Moira Rivas · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an Islander, I had to read....quirky, amusing.

[Jill Mcdonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

there are some wonderful stories and authors in this book of short stories set in staten island. it was worth a quick read.

[Kevin]

not very interesting

[Evelyn Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERY GOOD book. Loved all the stories!

[Evelyn Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story. Love it.

[jewelofthecrowne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid entry bringing up the rear in the Noir series for NYC. A read through the whole thing in a matter of hours.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark. Dark. Dark.
Short stories.
Grand little read.

[Brendan]

Rating: 3 1/2

It's kind of what to expect from the Akashic Noir series: some good stories mixed with others that are just okay.

Favorites:
"Mistakes" - Michael Penncavage: A guys' night out takes a turn for the worse.
"Abating a Nuisance" - Bruce DeSilva: Historical fiction.
"Assistant Professor Lodge" - Binnie Kirshenbaum: An incident at a small college.
"... spy verse spy ..." - Todd Craig: Drug dealing brothers.