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Bonds That Bind: A Short Story Collection
We all perceive ourselves as moral, and it’s easy to be so in the boredom of the day-to-day, but what about when things get ugly? Would you have the fortitude to say no if asked by a gangbanger to take part in his scheme to rob a casino? How about if someone threatened to kill your mother? Would you take them out? What would you do if your best friend slept with your wife? Would you save his life or would you let him die? Would you throw away a comfortable, if unspectacular, job as a teacher for the thrill of a big score, even if you could lose everything? Even if you could lose your life? If someone did something beyond the grounds of human decency, how much would their life be worth?
Dark and uncompromising, Bonds That Bind is the first collection of short fiction released by Writings by Ender and Beautiful / Losers Magazine founder Austin L. Wiggins. Equal parts Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy in tone, coupled with the easy, accessible prose of a Raymond Carver, Wiggins’ collection grabs readers’ attention from the start and doesn’t let go. Enjoy the ride.
Dark and uncompromising, Bonds That Bind is the first collection of short fiction released by Writings by Ender and Beautiful / Losers Magazine founder Austin L. Wiggins. Equal parts Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy in tone, coupled with the easy, accessible prose of a Raymond Carver, Wiggins’ collection grabs readers’ attention from the start and doesn’t let go. Enjoy the ride.
61 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 30, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 31, 2016
I'm not one for 5-stars-reviews - usually, I leave those super-high ratings to my dearest authors.
But here I see something rare; the birth of a new Literary Author. This doesn't happen everyday, and surely it does not happen with indie authors.
Austin chose (like me!) short stories to give us a taste of his skills. Short stories are great for the reader, because they give us the same enjoyment as a chocolate praline; a quick fleeting pleasure.
Those short stories by Austin are much alike pralines: you eat one and then without even knowing it, you've finished the whole box. The writing is reminiscent of authors such as Raymond Carver; and I'm not exaggerating. And much like Carver, Austin shows us the humor and tragedy that dwell in the hearts of ordinary people. I didn't expect twists and turns of plot in the beginning, while I was excitingly looking for them in the last stories. Each tale is different; but all of them share the same sharp analysis of the human soul.
This is a great debut, and I surely hope the author gets the spotlight he deserves.
Disclaimer: I received a ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
But here I see something rare; the birth of a new Literary Author. This doesn't happen everyday, and surely it does not happen with indie authors.
Austin chose (like me!) short stories to give us a taste of his skills. Short stories are great for the reader, because they give us the same enjoyment as a chocolate praline; a quick fleeting pleasure.
Those short stories by Austin are much alike pralines: you eat one and then without even knowing it, you've finished the whole box. The writing is reminiscent of authors such as Raymond Carver; and I'm not exaggerating. And much like Carver, Austin shows us the humor and tragedy that dwell in the hearts of ordinary people. I didn't expect twists and turns of plot in the beginning, while I was excitingly looking for them in the last stories. Each tale is different; but all of them share the same sharp analysis of the human soul.
This is a great debut, and I surely hope the author gets the spotlight he deserves.
Disclaimer: I received a ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
July 31, 2019
Bonds That Bind: A Short Story Collection (2016) by Writings by Ender and Beautiful / Losers Magazine founder Austin L. Wiggins is a beautifully written collection of six short stories: The Bird That Flew Overhead, One Man’s Sin, Radiance, The Outsider, Of Flowers and What Ails Us. The book is thought-provoking and asks of readers exactly how far their moral compass goes.
The characters in each of these collections share two traits: a sense of being flawed but also of being human. These stories have very realistic and relateable characters in extraordinary circumstances which many readers will hope they are never in. Written in a very accessible style each story drags you in making you want to continue reading to find out what will happen. There is a beautiful descriptive style to the writing.
The Bird That Flew Overhead has many stunning descriptive lines and is a great opener for the book. The tension and anticipation is very well written in this story and leaves the reader wanting to know how it will end. One Man’s Sin is an intriguing tale of a 40-year-old revenge and once again the reader’s attention is held brilliantly throughout. Although all the stories are great, the best in my opinion is the third story entitled Radiance. The plot is so good and so original. It is the story of George whose best friend Joe has had an affair with George’s wife but is now going to kill himself out of guilt. It is down to George to stop him from doing so. A very interesting plot and keeps your attention to the end as you wait to see whether George will show his humanity or not in light of what he knows. The Outsider is wonderfully written. It deals with quite a mundane situation. Derek is in The Pacific City Wind Ensemble and we as readers get a great sense of his inner feelings about being part of the ensemble and the different personalities of the members.
Fascinating and an excellent commentary on human communications. Of Flowers is an interesting story with a bit of a James Patterson feel to it. From one best-selling crime writer to another the final story What Ails Us has a bit of a John Grisham feel to it. We follow Glenda’s story as Price interviews her and it is a cleverly written and thought-provoking plot.
The characters in each of these collections share two traits: a sense of being flawed but also of being human. These stories have very realistic and relateable characters in extraordinary circumstances which many readers will hope they are never in. Written in a very accessible style each story drags you in making you want to continue reading to find out what will happen. There is a beautiful descriptive style to the writing.
The Bird That Flew Overhead has many stunning descriptive lines and is a great opener for the book. The tension and anticipation is very well written in this story and leaves the reader wanting to know how it will end. One Man’s Sin is an intriguing tale of a 40-year-old revenge and once again the reader’s attention is held brilliantly throughout. Although all the stories are great, the best in my opinion is the third story entitled Radiance. The plot is so good and so original. It is the story of George whose best friend Joe has had an affair with George’s wife but is now going to kill himself out of guilt. It is down to George to stop him from doing so. A very interesting plot and keeps your attention to the end as you wait to see whether George will show his humanity or not in light of what he knows. The Outsider is wonderfully written. It deals with quite a mundane situation. Derek is in The Pacific City Wind Ensemble and we as readers get a great sense of his inner feelings about being part of the ensemble and the different personalities of the members.
Fascinating and an excellent commentary on human communications. Of Flowers is an interesting story with a bit of a James Patterson feel to it. From one best-selling crime writer to another the final story What Ails Us has a bit of a John Grisham feel to it. We follow Glenda’s story as Price interviews her and it is a cleverly written and thought-provoking plot.
June 22, 2017
This little book is TWISTY, so much so that a couple of the stories I had to read twice just to double check that I actually comprehended it right. Unless your a psychic then you will never in a million years predict the ending of any of the stories in this collection.
There are six stories total, each around or under ten pages, and every single one of them poke at questions of morality. Wiggins creates relatable and understandable characters and then throws them into situations that are very much less than desirable. It's interesting to see how the characters react to said situations. Very thought provoking!
The writing style itself is great, and the characters are surprisingly well developed given the short length of each story. I felt like some of the more dramatic scene's were cut short, maybe rushed. I would have loved to see more detailed endings, perhaps a little bit longer per story. If Austin ever writes a full length novel then I will most definitely read it!
There are six stories total, each around or under ten pages, and every single one of them poke at questions of morality. Wiggins creates relatable and understandable characters and then throws them into situations that are very much less than desirable. It's interesting to see how the characters react to said situations. Very thought provoking!
The writing style itself is great, and the characters are surprisingly well developed given the short length of each story. I felt like some of the more dramatic scene's were cut short, maybe rushed. I would have loved to see more detailed endings, perhaps a little bit longer per story. If Austin ever writes a full length novel then I will most definitely read it!
November 3, 2017
I have never heard of or read anything by Austin L Wiggins, but after reading Bonds That Bind, he is definitely an author to watch.
It's unusual that I read short stories and even more unusual that I read books where the description hugely outweighs the dialogue, but Bonds That Bind was so masterfully and professionally written that I couldn't put it down.
The stories were the perfect length, enough to immerse yourself in the story and the characters but still perfectly paced with endings that felt natural and weren't rushed.
The main theme I could identify linking the stories was death, but this wasn't necessarily morbid and each story had a completely different set of circumstances around it. I felt the last story we particularly poignant and thought provoking. I will definitely seach out more works by Austin L Wiggins!
It's unusual that I read short stories and even more unusual that I read books where the description hugely outweighs the dialogue, but Bonds That Bind was so masterfully and professionally written that I couldn't put it down.
The stories were the perfect length, enough to immerse yourself in the story and the characters but still perfectly paced with endings that felt natural and weren't rushed.
The main theme I could identify linking the stories was death, but this wasn't necessarily morbid and each story had a completely different set of circumstances around it. I felt the last story we particularly poignant and thought provoking. I will definitely seach out more works by Austin L Wiggins!
May 8, 2017
Austin L. Wiggins’ first short story collection is a light volume, containing just six stories of less than ten pages each. He could have bulked it out, but favouring quality over quantity is probably a good idea for a new writer. Nothing kills the buzz of a great story like a weak follow-up.
These six variations on a (loose) theme of unbreakable bonds and moral dilemmas aren’t all equally impressive, but there’s no dead weight dragging it down. With recurring tropes of gang violence, bored office workers and suicide across several stories, it’s the inconsistencies that keep things interesting.
Full review of Bonds that Bind on Striking13.com
These six variations on a (loose) theme of unbreakable bonds and moral dilemmas aren’t all equally impressive, but there’s no dead weight dragging it down. With recurring tropes of gang violence, bored office workers and suicide across several stories, it’s the inconsistencies that keep things interesting.
Full review of Bonds that Bind on Striking13.com
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews