A Simplified Map of the Real World: The Renata Stories

by Stevan Allred

Fifteen linked stories chart a true course through the lives of families, farmers, loggers, former classmates, and the occasional stripper. In the richly imagined town of Renata, Oregon, a man watches his neighbor's big-screen TV through binoculars, an errant son paints himself silver, mysterious electrical humming emanates from an enormous barn. In A Simplified Map of the Real World , intimate boundaries are loosened by history-and high above the strife and the hope and the often hilarious, geese seek the perfect tailwind. Stevan Allred's stunning debut deftly navigates the stubborn geography of the human heart.

Read by the author.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Literature, Literary Fiction

9 pages, MP3 CD

Published February 1, 2018

About the author

Stevan Allred has survived circumcision, a tonsillectomy, a religious upbringing, the 60's, the War on Poverty, the break-up of The Beatles, any number of bad haircuts, years of psychotherapy, the Reagan Revolution, the War on Drugs, the Roaring 90's, plantar fasciitus, the Lewinsky Affair, the internet bubble, the Florida recount of 2000, the Bush oughts, the War on Terror, teen-aged children, a divorce, hay fever, the real estate bubble, male pattern baldness, and heartburn. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals and websites, and he has twice been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Reviews

[Gail Jeidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent the last couple days living in the fictional town of Renata, Ore., uttering involuntary guttural sounds in response to the words on the page. “A Simplified Map of the Real World” pulls you between the covers and snugs you there so completely, you’ll forget you are reading stories.
This elegantly linked collection of short stories is about husbands and wives and ex-husbands and ex-wives and entrees back into romance and life. It’s about fathers and sons and unlikely mentors and opposite human beings, young and old. I learned about being a man, actually being different kinds of men, what a ‘gomer’ is and first heard the word ‘beeves.’
Allred is a writing teacher and “A Simplified Map of the Real World” is a master work that should be required reading for short story writers. I found myself copying down so many lines, a calloused bump formed on my middle finger. (Not symbolic!)
How do you propel a story forward with character and make something happen in literary style? Here’s an example from a story about two brothers on a stolen tractor: “They were flying, the night air cool on their faces and nothing could stop them, not bullets, not barricades, and no shit heel of a sheriff. Not even if God Himself appeared as a burning bush and blocked their path with a wheelbarrow full of King James Bibles.”
Or this, from a story about a husband enraged by his wife’s new lover: “Every time you look at your cows you see Randy Andy shoving the syringe loaded with bull semen inside them all the way up past his elbow. You want to strip his long latex glove off his arm and strangle him.”
How to describe in a fresh, new way: “Her voice was scratchy and thin like the sound of a butter knife scraping the black off of burnt toast.”
How to make the world vivid through beloved objects: “Leather dyed the color of a green curry, but when the sun shone, it had a blue cast…as if the chair had invited the sky down for a visit.”
Originality viva la voice: “He had curtains, for Christ’s sake, he was a good catch.”
Surprise with humor: These thoughts from a harried father: “You wanted children but not these children.”
Character, character, character: “Because when she lay her head down on an ironed pillowcase she knew she had gotten at least one thing right in her life.”
Or
“You cannot grieve for a puzzle, not celebrate the death of a cipher. You have to make sense out of the man first.”
Allred says so much in so little. Every story is visually told with rich language. A brilliant book with great heart. Stories that stay with you.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Renata is the small town at the center of a county in central Oregon. The fifteen stories set there span several generations; characters show up in more than one story; sometimes we see a story from various perspective. There is a continuity that doesn’t normally occur in short story collections, even though the stories are not arranged chronologically (which was confusing at times). These are tales of divorce, love, death, prejudice, greed, poor choices- lots of poor choices including trying to make a tractor fly- and all the other things that make us human.

I’ve been living in a small town/rural area for over 30 years now, and I recognize these people: the farmers, sheriffs, delinquents, bullies and all the types that make up life in small town USA. I’m not normally the biggest fan of short stories, because there tends to be a lack of character development, but because of the format, these tales are all about character development, sometimes spanning multiple stories. I loved this book, and rather hope that more stories come out of this rural county.

[Emi Yoshida · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of shorts is so cohesive it practically reads like a novel! It's rare to find an author who makes characters of either gender equally intriguing and real, kudos to Stevan Allred and his Pinewood Table for acing that. I loved everything about the town and inhabitants of Renata, their voices and stories, and the way so many of these characters get what they deserve. Laurie Paus's illustrations are a brilliant fit between the pieces; and my only edit would be to move the map at the very end, to the very front (maybe that's where it is in the print version, but not in the digital copy I got from NetGalley).

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got my paws on an advance copy because I couldn't wait. And it really delivered on all levels. Was easily the best read of the summer. I went at it hard and fast, and then immediately re-read it to soak up the style, bask in the nuances. My expectations were extremely high, having studied with Stevan, and he exceeded them wonderfully. I will buy another copy to give as a gift to some lucky, as yet undecided, person.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about real people and small town life...but so much more, love and loss, strength and flaw, the way we are showing ourselves all the time, even when we try to hide, all told in a series of short stories, beautiful writing, where no word is wasted.

[Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

And my via-CCLaP reads continue their streak of being so freaking good.

Review to come. I'm ear-deep in some Murakami and wading into some Duncan and writing just pales in comparison to reading two of my favorite living writers.

[Julene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stevan Allred was one of my first Dangerous Writing teachers back in November 2002 in Portland. This book of 15 linked stories, set in the fictional town of Renata, will grab your heart. Each story stands on it's own, but within you find new aspects to characters from the other stories. I read eagerly for these connections. He weaves a web, a town full of rich lives that are fully embodied with the passion life holds. We see into the lives of each character in a way that reminds us of our human fragility: broken marriages, teens out of control, stubborn old men feuding, witches and healers misunderstood by the world, boys making bombs. This town he built gives a strong sense of place, with the big city in the distance.

[Dylan Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories are my favorite thing to read. This book makes them even more fun by connecting them all—all set in the same town with overlapping characters. Even some of the cows are seen in different stories. Think about that. EVEN SOME OF THE COWS. (Deep breath...exhale...drink large glass of milk.) Stevan Allred also shows a great talent for speaking from so many voices: men, women, young, old, cow lover (not that kind of cow loving).

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed the writing and the idea of linked short stories to illustrate the life and history of a small town. Keeping track of the characters that appeared in more than one story and the time period each story covers was engaging and interesting.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel attached to several of the characters and stories (maybe because I'm unmarried and too young? There were many middle-aged characters coping with fizzled marriages, divorce, and re-entering the dating scene).

And I was left wondering if there was a larger point that Allred was trying to convey. I don't know what he was trying to say about society, or small towns, or the human condition, which kind of bothers me. However, I'll have the opportunity to ask him tonight when he visits my book group. If I have the courage. We'll see!

[Stefanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most masterfully linked short-story collection I've read to date. Instead of brief cameo appearances by characters, Allred explores in-depth people: an in-the-closet man who lives in the middle of Mormon territory finds his soulmate in the most unexpected place, a stoned-stripper moves back with her parents, neighbors battle, people in a small town intertwine. Each chapter is rich with unique story.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the writing style and the variety of voices throughout the book. I just wasn't in the mood for such a collection of self-centered, self-absorbed, whiny characters. Thank goodness for the exceptions (Sadie, Ruth, Hallock)--and, I guess, the ones that I felt sorry for because their lives were so pathetic.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allred's stories capture the microcosm of rural and small-town life. His characters are touching, irritating, and humorous. He evokes a distinct sense of local culture in a way that's reminiscent of regional writers of the late 19th and early 20th century -- Hamlin Garland and Sarah Orne Jewett come to mind. I want to read more, to follow these characters in future tales.

[Sara Habein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allred writes wonderfully of loneliness, despair, and desire, and the history and characters contained within the town of Renata, Oregon make this one of the most connected collection of short stories I've ever read.

[James Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice. A cycle of stories centered around the inhabitants of one small Oregon town. Mr. Allred has done a splendid job of creating a snapshot, through various characters' lives, of the inner life of an entire community. Well done.

[Steve Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of carefully crafted stories. If you like short stories, you'll love this book. If you buy two copies, you'll have one to lend out to friends. They'll love you for it.

[Skyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just stunning small town interwoven stories. If your memory for names is as bad as mine, you'll be happy to find a map and charts at the back of the book.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this selection from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had no idea what to expect at any point through this book. The perfectly dysfunctional characterizations were almost too far-fetched, but they were so human - I know some of these people. There's no clear direction to the text, but that's where the magic comes in: the hodge-podge of people that we meet are all inextricably related - it was like a historical treasure hunt. I really enjoyed this read.

[Annmbray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most enjoyable and extremely varied short stories from the farm town of Renata and surrounding areas! Family, friendship and love relationships take center stage and many have a dark undercurrent! Still, I found myself relating to the characters and often laughing out loud! Many stories seemed to end all of a sudden leaving the reader to consider what may have come next!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of basically intertwined short stories had beautiful writing and was "different" than I'm used to. There was a lot more attention to nature and the "world" as it is seen by the characters - which felt like a welcomed shift from plot and characterization.

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting adventure of human nature. Allred masterly tells the stories of multiple events with a few crossover characters. Delightful, tragic and at times so funny, funny in the way one could look at their own life and become part of his experience. I am definitely going to read his next book.

[Jason Arias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly well crafted.

[Jennifer Pullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely writing, with a fine attention to voice and detail, creating a collage depiction of a place.

[Olya · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit too simplified. Would have been nice to have some idea about the narrators of the first two stories I actually managed to read.

[Uintah Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed a few chapters. I live in the author's neighborhood, though I don't know him. Some good humor, and sometimes touching.

[Cathy Schieffelin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creative story telling but sometimes hard to follow the twists and turns and how the characters were linked. But the writing is gorgeous. Just wish it felt easier to tie the narratives together.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. The individual stories were each interesting in their own way, and I liked how they were connected in some way to one another through the characters both past and present. I thought the author did a good job of writing in the different voices of the characters, which were quite varied.

[Jill Hallenbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting read! Linked short stories tell bits and pieces of truth about folks in an Oregon town (fictional I hope). Family, spouses and ex-spouses, everybody has a part to play. I really liked the title of this book and also the charts in the back showing the town and the roads we get to know and also how the stories link to one another.

At first I wasn't really digging this book and it had a lot of "language," I don't use, but I came to see how sometimes the language is a way to tell the characters apart and also to add a little color. it grew on me and I was well satisfied by the end.

I got this book for free in a GoodReads Giveaway!

[Gerard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how the book connects the different stories together in such a unique way.
Some of the characters are recurring throughout the book which makes it quite an interesting read. At certain points I got a little confused or was unsure about certain details and all I had to do was flip back to a different story to figure it out again.
The characters are very easy to relate to, simply due to the fact that they are so real.
Anyway, overall a very enjoyable read!

I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Melisa Sevall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about pathetic people in a made-up small town. And, I thought the writing was forced. There is a kind of sarcasm, as if the author is poking fun at the pathetic characters he has created, and it just turned me off as I kept seeing it in story after story. I did like the story about Sadie and the fire. I felt more emotionally involved in her story than any of the others. The book is a decent example of good, quirky character development, but I just think a book needs more than that to be worthwhile.