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Michael C Keith
SLOW TRANSIT: Collection of short stories spanning the surreal to vividly real. Covered with humor and pathos.
226 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 6, 2017
I have to confess when Michael Keith asked me to review his latest collection of fiction, Slow Transit, I knew exactly what to expect. No, it’s not that I have been big fan of his fiction, having already read many of his collections; on the contrary, one thing that I have learned and what has impressed me most with Keith’s extensive literary offerings, is his ability to capture life’s idiosyncrasies, quirks, peculiarities, heartaches, and triumphs.
Reading Keith, I am reminded of some of my literary heroes such as Rod Serling, Ray Bradbury, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, and Carson McCullers. That’s some good company to be in, and it’s a well-deserved compliment for someone like Keith who is masterful at the way he weaves and tells a story—thrusting ordinary people into extraordinary situations.
Keith is in top form again with the stories in this collection. In “The Melancholia of a Lesser Soul,” Keith speaks for all writers who wonder at times if anyone is reading their stuff (present company included!) and if they will ever get the kind of recognition that they think they deserve. “It didn’t appear to matter to the world at large that he’d published two books of poetry and another of short stories,” writes Keith. “At least that’s what Gil Porter had come to believe.” For anyone who has ever published a book, they can empathize with poor Gil who tries to sell his books and for those few souls who buy his books, to have them leave a review on Amazon. However, this is not simply a story about a writer bemoaning the reality that all writers face trying to seek recognition; instead, it’s a story that champions anyone who has tried to perfect their craft or their game in spite of all the odds against them.
What I’ve come to like about Keith’s writing is the twist his endings sometimes have. We’re not talking about the famous O. Henry twist ending with a contradiction or incongruity; instead we’re talking about the kind of ending, like the one in “Going the Distance” where you’ve already tapped into Keith’s storytelling prowess and are pleasantly surprised and amused with his ending—in this case, the story about a man who does what he has to do to ensure that history does not repeat itself. That’s not to say Keith is predictable. On the contrary, part of Keith’s storytelling finesse is his understanding of human nature. Even if we see the ending coming, we still cheer on the protagonist—because if we found ourselves in a similar situation, we would do the same. I know I would!
And finally, no discussion of Keith’s fiction would be complete without a mention of the characters that populate his stories. Of all the stories in this collection, the one that is near and dear to me is “Sarge.” Perhaps it’s because I have been living in Korea since forever (the story takes place in Korea) or that having been in the military I can identify and empathize with the protagonist in this story about encountering Sergeant Brennan who is, in military parlance, “a lifer”—someone who not only makes a career out of the military but also someone who’s view of the real world might be a little skewed for having spent a lifetime in the military. When a new sergeant show’s up at the protagonist’s duty station, we soon find out that Sergeant Brennan has been in two wars and had a drinking problem. Although Keith doesn’t explain too much back story, we can fill in the gaps.
What makes this story special is the way that Keith writes about this sergeant in the twilight of his life (you never really know a person until you’ve walked in their shoes) and how, at the end, he looks back on the time he knew this sergeant because the story is just as much about Keith as it is about the sergeant:
“Now, more than a half-century later, I can still see Sarge lying there on the supply floor as if it all happened yesterday. The memory I have of that old soldier is still vivid. General MacArthur had it wrong; some old soldiers never fade away. I hadn’t read much back then, but something that must have come out of the book filled my head as I made my designated stops the day I was told that Sarge had died: ‘It’s so much darker when even a dim light goes out.’”
Thankfully, Michael Keith’s light keeps burning bright and illuminates our lives with the stories he tells.
Jeffrey Miller, Bureau 39
Reading Keith, I am reminded of some of my literary heroes such as Rod Serling, Ray Bradbury, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, and Carson McCullers. That’s some good company to be in, and it’s a well-deserved compliment for someone like Keith who is masterful at the way he weaves and tells a story—thrusting ordinary people into extraordinary situations.
Keith is in top form again with the stories in this collection. In “The Melancholia of a Lesser Soul,” Keith speaks for all writers who wonder at times if anyone is reading their stuff (present company included!) and if they will ever get the kind of recognition that they think they deserve. “It didn’t appear to matter to the world at large that he’d published two books of poetry and another of short stories,” writes Keith. “At least that’s what Gil Porter had come to believe.” For anyone who has ever published a book, they can empathize with poor Gil who tries to sell his books and for those few souls who buy his books, to have them leave a review on Amazon. However, this is not simply a story about a writer bemoaning the reality that all writers face trying to seek recognition; instead, it’s a story that champions anyone who has tried to perfect their craft or their game in spite of all the odds against them.
What I’ve come to like about Keith’s writing is the twist his endings sometimes have. We’re not talking about the famous O. Henry twist ending with a contradiction or incongruity; instead we’re talking about the kind of ending, like the one in “Going the Distance” where you’ve already tapped into Keith’s storytelling prowess and are pleasantly surprised and amused with his ending—in this case, the story about a man who does what he has to do to ensure that history does not repeat itself. That’s not to say Keith is predictable. On the contrary, part of Keith’s storytelling finesse is his understanding of human nature. Even if we see the ending coming, we still cheer on the protagonist—because if we found ourselves in a similar situation, we would do the same. I know I would!
And finally, no discussion of Keith’s fiction would be complete without a mention of the characters that populate his stories. Of all the stories in this collection, the one that is near and dear to me is “Sarge.” Perhaps it’s because I have been living in Korea since forever (the story takes place in Korea) or that having been in the military I can identify and empathize with the protagonist in this story about encountering Sergeant Brennan who is, in military parlance, “a lifer”—someone who not only makes a career out of the military but also someone who’s view of the real world might be a little skewed for having spent a lifetime in the military. When a new sergeant show’s up at the protagonist’s duty station, we soon find out that Sergeant Brennan has been in two wars and had a drinking problem. Although Keith doesn’t explain too much back story, we can fill in the gaps.
What makes this story special is the way that Keith writes about this sergeant in the twilight of his life (you never really know a person until you’ve walked in their shoes) and how, at the end, he looks back on the time he knew this sergeant because the story is just as much about Keith as it is about the sergeant:
“Now, more than a half-century later, I can still see Sarge lying there on the supply floor as if it all happened yesterday. The memory I have of that old soldier is still vivid. General MacArthur had it wrong; some old soldiers never fade away. I hadn’t read much back then, but something that must have come out of the book filled my head as I made my designated stops the day I was told that Sarge had died: ‘It’s so much darker when even a dim light goes out.’”
Thankfully, Michael Keith’s light keeps burning bright and illuminates our lives with the stories he tells.
Jeffrey Miller, Bureau 39
March 11, 2017
You must read to believe. Fresh and curious.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews