Floyd Harbor: Stories

by Joel Mowdy

Floyd Harbor is a debut collection of linked stories, set largely in the 1990s, about the lives of residents of Mastic Beach, an area of New York long afflicted with widespread poverty but blessed with natural beauty.

The twelve linked stories in Joel Mowdy's first book take place in and around Mastic Beach, a community on New York's Long Island that's close to the wealthy Hamptons but long afflicted by widespread poverty. Mostly in their teens and early twenties, the characters struggle to become independent in various ways, ranging from taking typical low-paying jobs—hotel laundry, janitorial, restaurant, and landscaping work—to highly ingenious schemes, to exchanging sexual favors for a place to stay. A few make it to local community colleges; others end up in rehab or juvenile detention centers. However loving, their parents can offer little help. Those who are Vietnam veterans may suffer from PTSD; others from the addictions that often come with stressful lives.

Neighborhoods of small bungalows—formerly vacation homes—with dilapidated boats in the driveways hint at the waterways that open up close by. The beauty of the ocean beach offers further consolation, as does the often high-spirited temperament of youth. Joel Mowdy brings to his affecting collection both personal experience and a gift for discerning and lingering on the essential moments in his characters' stories. He intimately and vividly illuminates American lives that too seldom see the light.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2019

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I normally read a short story each day. Sometimes I have to limit myself to one story a day, so when it takes me well over a month to read a collection of a dozen stories . . . you know there's a disconnect somewhere.

Mowdy's characters are young, with not much to live for, and nothing to lose. They all speak with the same voice, and they all have similar goals. They're not a likable bunch, but more importantly - they're not a very interesting bunch. One story blurred into the next, and none of them were very memorable. And, I'm not against ambiguous endings, but here the vague conclusions just made the whole endeavor seem pointless. I'll give this three stars because the author's writing is certainly competent, but my enjoyment level hovered around two for most of the book.

[Deedi Brown (DeediReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

All my reviews live at https://deedireads.com/.

Thank you to Catapult for the advanced reader’s copy of this book! It will be published on May 14th.

Floyd Harbor was a subtly moving look into the human experience of those who live in the depressed small towns of America. The writing seemed to zoom in on the most telling details without sacrificing pace or perspective, which really sucks the reader in and makes it all feel so true to life.

Each short story in this collection is a different person who lives in Floyd Harbor, but many of the same places, events, and details find their way into all of them — as you would expect in a small town! That was one of my favorite parts of the book.

I grew up in a small, working-class town in the heart of upstate New York, which made for a really interesting reading experience with this one. The small-town poverty causes a lot of the characters in Floyd Harbor to fall into drugs, into jail or the risk of it. My upbringing was privileged enough to keep me from that lifestyle, but I went to high school with plenty of people who were not in the same position. And of course, the vast majority of them are truly good people who just didn’t have the same opportunities as others. So the “inside” look at these characters’ dreams and love and experiences hit close to my heart, making me feel simultaneously more separate from and closer to those I’d grown up alongside. I didn’t even realize that I had needed that.

This collection isn’t long — it drops you into this world, says the damn thing, and then spits you back out subtly changed.

[Adam Penna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mowdy’s characters are familiar, striking, original and tenderly wrought. Not only does he capture the mood of the last years of the 20th Century on Long Island, but he captures something more rare still: the truth. Here, in these 12 interlocking stories, are the people you know, the places you know and the schemes you know—but all are transformed. Mowdy’s work depicts the struggles of life and loss, but manages to avoid cynicism. In fact, in the end, love is what holds this community together, even if that love is a meager human love, which sees its own limitations and often falls short.

[Paul Wilner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent work from a new and very talented writer.

My review, for ZYZZVYA magazine, is linked below:

https://www.zyzzyva.org/2019/05/17/fl...

[Cristina K · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy close examinations of every day moments you will LOVE this collection. The stories are centered around a small town that has sort of given up on being a place at all and it is as much a character (if not more) as the people in the stories themselves. Vivid and stark descriptions written expertly will drag you in and carry you along. Each stands alone but if you enjoy linked characters and places you'll get that, too. Highly recommend- a new voice and a good one.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in a Long Island beach/harbor town many years into a decline, Floyd Harbor is a book of stories centered around aimless young people who have lost all hope and have driven them to petty crime and drugs and menial jobs. We follow each down-trodden character as they scheme and stumble through their bored lives.

I consider this a slice-of-life book, one that gives us a glimpse of ordinary people living ordinary lives with seemingly no point. I believe the point is that some are not as fortunate as others and how they cope with what little they have to make the best of it. While each story (11 of them) hints at the other's, it's all loosely tied together in the final story.

This is not for everyone. I enjoyed it and it is a quick read.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories set in economically depressed area of Long Island, Floyd Harbor is a great debut by a new author. It's an impressive portrait of a place left behind by the capitalist scramble that dominates America, and I quite enjoyed it. One of the blurbs on the ARC compares Mowdy's writing to Irvine Welsh, and I think that's a fair comparison, though I'm not sure how much of a lasting impact this will have on me compared to Trainspotting. Nevertheless, this book really grew on me as I read it, and I'm looking forward to reading more by Mowdy. I'm rounding up from the 3.5 stars I'd give it if Goodreads had that functionality because I feel it deserves it.

[Lana Kalis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This captures a moment in time. loved Saltys ... so gritty, you can smell it all!!! Joel not only captures New York during this era but also the Australian suburbs too... if I was truely connect with it, it speaks of a sub-culture of our generation lost, where society is the predator and we the commodity. Joel brings to life the discomfort of the unpretentious tragedy of our lives, beyond the glossy magazine distractions and thwarted aspirations and force us to confront the question “what am I doing with my life?”

[Georgianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a curious little book depicting the odd side of a local to me area. I enjoyed the connecting themes between many of the stories like Hotel California playing in the radio, Handy Pantry, 7-Eleven and others. I think it depicted a rather bleak picture which plays into the stereotypes of those living in the area, but it was a fun little read overall.

[Katie Shockey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Catapult and Goodreads for the ARC of Floyd Harbor! Some of the stories stuck with me more than others, but overall I enjoyed this collection of stories.

[Steven Ridgely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading these stories.