Zig Zag Wanderer: Stories from Here, Stories from There

by Madison Smartt Bell

Zig Zag Wanderer is no ordinary short story collection. These 18 stories come from Madison Smartt Bell—acclaimed writer of more than a dozen books and National Book Award finalist—who has said that his work has always been dictated by daemons. Stretching from New York to Haiti and beyond, these luminous stories reveal Bell’s sharp eye and deep empathy for his characters—punks, hustlers, mixed figures, and lost souls of all ages, backgrounds, and denominations. Characters who have a foot in two worlds, as Bell says.

Genres: Short Stories

283 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2013

About the author

Madison Smartt Bell is a critically acclaimed writer of more than a dozen novels and story collections, as well as numerous essays and reviews for publications such as Harper’s and the New York Times Book Review. His books have been finalists for both the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award, among other honors. Bell has also taught at distinguished creative writing programs including the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Johns Hopkins, and Goucher College. His work is notable for its sweeping historical and philosophical scope matched with a remarkable sensitivity to the individual voices of characters on the margins of society.

Reviews

[Gea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zig Zag Wanderer is slightly schizophrenic, but this literary short story collection is brimming with beauty, magic, and music. There are two sides to the book which can be turned upside down depending on whether you are reading Zig or Zag. Zag was my favorite (5 stars!). It’s the exotic, international side of Bell’s brain with stories transpiring in London, Paris, and most often Haiti—a haunted dangerous place thrumming with vodou, violence, and beauty.

Zig is the more American, domestic side of the collection and it’s a little bit hit or miss. (I give it 4 stars.) Many of the stories in Zig have been published previously over a span of years and I believe, though I’m not certain, they were written before the stories of Zag. They don’t flow quite as seamlessly into each other as the Zag stories do, but there are some real gems here. Two of my favorites are Small Blue Thing, a take on The Raven (or is he?) and Poe as told from the mysterious bird’s perspective, and also the deeply moving Petrified Forest, which at the very end gave me a real punch in the heart.

The stories of Zig Zag Wanderer are deep character studies in displacement. Most of the characters in the collection are men journeying through another country or taking refuge in another’s home. Airplanes, bars, and hotels are common settings. These are lonely, disconnected people, unsure of their place in the world, seeking pleasure in simple things such as music and women (okay, maybe not so simple).

Madison Smartt Bell is a musician and it’s evident in his writing. There’s a beat to his sentences. A throb to his words. Music runs through Zig Zag like a soundtrack (hence the title), and is almost a character in itself, which brings me to Leadbelly in Paris—Wow! What a brilliant story.

If you enjoy literary fiction, delving deeply into character, and words so beautiful they sound like poetry entwined to the beat of music and imbued with a mystical perspective, then I highly recommend Zig Zag Wanderer. MSB is a true artist. Read it slowly so you don't miss anything.

Here, when you looked into darkness, there was God.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Bell, I was reminded of the great short stories of Alice Munro. Not every story in this collection has the broad scope of Munro's stories but some, particularly The Vanishing Sky. Knowing nothing of Haiti, I enjoyed the stories set there. They offered me a glimpse of life there. I liked the way Bell used the native "Krayol" in places, sometimes offering a translation immediately, sometimes returning to it later in the story. It was a good study for using foreign languages in creative writing.
Madison Smart Bell uses a variety of formats in these stories so after reading about half of them, there was formula to look for as I started the next one. Each was knew and fresh. Even the stories that had similar settings with characters of the same name didn't read like continuations of the previous tale. I wasn't lured or lulled necessarily into thinking that because the character shared the same name, he or she had the same persona.
I like the way aspects of Rock 'n' Roll and music culture are woven into Bell's stories. It could become so cloying or cute quickly, but Bell shows a knowledge of the music field and uses references sparingly and, well, appropriately without relying on the references to carry his story.
Bell has a good command of similes.
I enjoyed "Leadbelly in Paris" and found "Fall On Me" chilling.

[Ted]

Some amazing stories here. Note: a Kreole glossary would have come in handy.

[Jonathan Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Later stories, returning to some of the earlier themes and locations
https://discontinuednotes.com/2023/01...

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always find it difficult to formulate a coherent review for books that are collections of stories, as my reactions to individual stories are often widely varied, so that it is difficult to provide a concise description of my overall impressions. This book is no exception. There are stories in here that I felt a strong connection with, and others that were a bit of a chore to read. My overall reaction is that it is a mixed bag, with glimpses of brilliance amidst some pedestrian tales.

These stories are almost entirely character studies (though in some cases the ‘character’ being studied is a location rather than a person), and are long on internal dialog and description, and lacking in specific plot or action. Many of these stories explore personalities under stress, which sets a dark tone in many cases. While some of the stories do provide signs of hope or positive endings, there is a strong overall feeling of gloominess.

The physical book is also unusual. It is formatted like one of those 2-in-1 books, with two front covers, each upside-down relative to the other. Each half includes nine stories, and in the middle, we’re invited to turn the book over and start again from the other end. Not really sure if there is supposed to be any significance to this formatting, but it does make the book stand out from the usual short story collection.

Overall, this collection was somewhat entertaining, but I don’t expect that it will be on my list of favorite books for the year.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really for me. Heavy on description, low on dialogue, I felt exhausted and removed from most of the characters/places.

The book is formatted interesting, with stories from "here," aka the US, on one side, and then flip over to the other for stories from "there," aka the broader world. The publisher on its own is worth mentioning; the book was free, with the suggestion of making a donation to charity and then passing the stories on to some one else.

Here are the stories I enjoyed the most: "Petrified Forest." Starts in my childhood mall around the time they put the Rainforest Cafe in, lol. Already felt some familiarity. But more than that, it has to do with the effects of money problems on a fractured family.

"I Ain't Blue"--two musicians and their toddler daughter stay in what might be a haunted house. It's much more subtle, and about their own stressors as characters as much as what the house is up to.

"Prey"--in Haiti, a man trains guard dogs for the rich, juxtaposed around the breaking news story of a journalist being kidnapped by a terror group and the highlights of what comes after.

My mom got this for me over the holidays a couple of years ago. I think I might keep it in mind for this year's local international book giving day swap.

[Michael B Tager · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, the concept of a free book - giving chain letter thing is awesome. I love it. As someone who gives his books away all the time, it connected with me. I'm looking forward to passing it on. I might write my donations in the book. I might not. WHO KNOWS?

As to the book itself: it's split into two segments of stories, essentially. One half has a lot of short stories focused on Haiti and has some recurring characters. It was O-K. Not my particular taste. The other half had no particular theme that I could discern, but I enjoyed it a lot. Like, a whole lot. There are individual stories I can point out, but why? Read it yourself.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a couple really stellar stories in this collection that drew me in and held my attention.

I love the premise behind Concord Free Press but I found this story collection subpar and full of cliches about women and relationships and go-nowhere stories. The advantage of the short stories is if you don't like one the next story will probably be different, but I was hoping for some more variety. It's good, but not great.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the other Open Letter books I've read this year, but still not good enough to hold my interest. Giving up on it and donating it to a Little Free Library so it can find its rightful reader.