Let Us All Pray Now To Our Own Strange Gods

by John Brantingham

John Brantingham's short story collection follows Harrison through his divorce and his son's mental illness. In twenty-seven stories, Harrison proves that nature is the way through life's worst times.

134 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 25, 2013

About the author

John Brantingham is the author of books such as East of Los Angeles, Mann of War, Let Us All Pray Now to Our Own Strange Gods, Study Abroad, and others. His poetry has been featured on Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac and in hundreds of magazines in the US and the UK. He has been nominated for multiple Pushcart Prizes and won Pearl Magazine's Fiction contest. He lives in Southern California with his wife, Annie, and their dog, Archie.

Reviews

[Patrick C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book is something special. It's a short story collection, but all of the stories focus on the same character, Harrison. Harrison is in his forties, recently divorced, and seems to be lost in the transition from married to single life. The collection reads a bit like a novel, but one without any main plot, just a bunch of scenes from Harrison's life.

I can't remember the last time a character felt as real as Harrison does. He is so wonderfully written that I feel like I could have lunch with him like we were old friends. And I could easily read a hundred more stories about him. I just enjoyed spending time in his head.

Most of the stories are rather short, but none of them feel underdeveloped. My only qualm is that there aren't more of them.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will hit you right in the feels at moments.