Little Ones

by Grey Wolfe Lajoie

A collection of fiction and graphic ephemera, Little Ones plays in a space of shadows and in-betweens.

Informed by Appalachian experience and traditions of Southern storytelling, these award-winning stories are populated by the world’s dispossessed, disturbed, and the quiet interior life of a passed-over laborer, the bedtime story a goose tells a snake about a boy named Grey, moments of a road-killed raccoon's afterlife, advice to the children of a future apocalypse. 

These mischievous polyvocal tales play in a space of shadows and in-betweens. Little Ones is an exercise in audacity, in embracing the bizarre and carnivalesque within us. Grey Wolfe LaJoie employs uncanny wit and deep empathy to explore the way shame can turn into desperate violence, and to shed light on the smallest among us.

Genres: Short Stories, Short Story Collection

240 pages, Paperback

Published October 8, 2024

About the author

Born in Western North Carolina, Grey Wolfe LaJoie holds an MFA from the University of Alabama and currently works as an instructor and coordinator for the Alabama Prison Arts & Education Program. The recipient of a 2023 O. Henry Prize selected by Lauren Groff, their work has been featured in numerous journals and anthologies, including The Threepenny Review, Crazyhorse, Shenandoah, Copper Nickel, the 2024 Pushcart Prize Anthology, and the 2023 PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories. Their debut collection, Little Ones will be released in the fall of 2024 through Hub City Press. Read more of their work here.

Reviews

[Leah Tyler]

See full review on the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUION website:
"North Carolina author Grey Wolfe LaJoie’s experimental debut collection of stories and musings “Little Ones” centers on the experiences of animals, children and other beings that life seems to have forgotten or passed over. Employing a sardonic yet introspective tone, LaJoie (pronouns they/them) — who humorously describes themself in one autobiographical story as “overly sensitive” but also “incapable of engaging directly with (their) emotions” — gives voice to those who can’t speak, be it a snake, a piece of steak or a road-killed raccoon.

Form is up for grabs in this Southern gothic collection of 21 unique works that uses graphic ephemera to round out LaJoie’s storytelling. The collection opens with a reader’s survey containing 18 questions and includes more than a few comic strips, drawings and pages ripped from a pamphlet...”

https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/litt...

[Karen Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last year, I discovered Grey Wolfe LaJoie via their outstanding Pushcart story, “The Locksmith.” And now, I’m delighted to have read Little Ones, a collection of ‘fiction and graphic ephemera.” It’s the perfect book for those of us who love formats beyond traditional narratives. More importantly, it’s a way to find, or maybe regain, our compassion, to stretch our empathy, to see ourselves in people very different from us – and to see them in us.
FMI see my blog post at A Just Recompense.

[Nick Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was first exposed to Grey’s writing a couple of years ago when my friend Sarah was kind enough to let me read a PDF of Snek & Goose. Later that year I bought a copy of the O. Henry winners just to read The Locksmith, and have been stoked ever since.

This was genuinely some of the best short-fiction I’ve ready in a while. Grey’s writing scratches an itch in my brain that I can’t quite put words to - it’s hilarious, shadowy, and so tender at the same time. Mainly, it’s a reminder that what’s most quiet and overlooked in this world often has the most to say. And that we shouldn’t forget the world’s disposition toward entropy and rust.

My favorites were:
- Snek & Goose
- Idly
- Baby
- Delivery
- Interview with the Pope

[Morgan Swank · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not a short story anthology gal, but I picked this up from the local section while at an author event for Allen Lyle at Hub City Bookstore and I’m so happy I did.

I’ve never read anything quite like this before. Every single story was something new and different. I laughed. I cried. I walked away and came back a different person. It was an immersive reading experience I’m not going to forget. I’ve read a lot of books and I think Grey Wolfe LaJoie is one of the most authentic and unique authors I’ve ever come across and I commend them for this endeavor.

10/10 recommend.

[Vern Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't understand how there are not more ratings or readings for this incredible book. I'll be giving a more thorough review ASAP!

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would recommend…. If you want something out of the ordinary. I picked this book up at a local book store, and bought it solely based on the cover. I read it in one sitting, which I’m not sure I would recommend. It’s a lot to take in (in a good way) but I couldn’t put it down (in a good way). I really enjoyed reading it and, though I feel there may be a deeper something to it, I read it as a piece of work to just enjoy. Absurd in parts.
If you want something different but aren’t sure what, this is your book.