Horses

by Andrew Forbes

In a suburb that is nowhere and everywhere, Jorgen deals with the feelings of alienation and frustration from his collapsing relationship by getting into his car, putting on Patti Smith, and searching for meaning and belonging anywhere he can — regardless of whether he is welcome or wanted.

Genres: Short Stories

36 pages, Paperback

First published May 24, 2016

About the author

Andrew Forbes is the author of the short story collections Lands and Forests (Invisible Publishing, 2019) and What You Need (2015), the latter of which was shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, and named a finalist for the Trillium Book Prize. He is also the author of The Utility of Boredom: Baseball Essays (2016), and The Only Way is the Steady Way: Essays on Baseball, Ichiro, and How We Watch the Game, (2021). Forbes lives in Peterborough, Ontario.

Reviews

[Alan (the Lone Librarian) Teder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patti Smith at low volume seems like a contradiction.

Stalker obsessing over a woman he doesn't even know while listening to Patti Smith's "Horses" in his car at low volume so as not to attract attention. As weird and twisted as it sounds, but a well-done portrait.

As opposed to a binding problem that I had with another chapbook by Found Press (The Psychology of Animals Swallowed Alive: Love Stories), this one was perfect. So likely that problem was a one-off.