The Rink Girl

by Mark Brazaitis

A grandfather reluctantly raising his seven-year-old granddaughter throws her a birthday party to which no one comes—and she’s delighted. A former hockey player, about to become a father, suffers flashbacks to times his coach sexually abused him. A one-time Olympic hopeful reveals the heartbreaking reason she failed to land her signature jump—and thereby frees herself to find her next passion. Winner of Prize Americana, The Rink Girl may have a small geographic setting—an ice arena in an unassuming Ohio town—but it’s wide in thematic from depression and war to the perils and pleasures of parenting and the thrill (and aching brevity) of first love.

144 pages, Paperback

Published September 8, 2018

Reviews

[D.W.Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories, some of which have previously been published elsewhere. There are a total of 14 stories ranging in length from five and a half to fifteen pages. They qualify as what is now commonly known as flash fiction.

All of the stories feature the Sherman Ice Arena, an indoor ice rink as a main “character.” Ten of the stories also have a character named Alice Maravicious, a local figure skater and later a figure skating instructor. In some stories Alice is a central character and in others she is peripheral to the narrative.

You might think that having an ice rink as a main “character” in a group of stories would limit the range of stories the author could tell, but that is not the case here. The stories include a broad range of characters, dealing with a broad range of issues. From the profound sadness of dealing with the suicide of a family member or contemplating suicide yourself, to the joy of a budding romance, Brazaitis introduces the reader to the drama and humor of a wide variety of characters having only an ice rink in common.

Mark Brazaitis brings a sympathetic voice to all of his characters, from a young girl writing letters to her figure skating idle, to an ex-con dealing with the birth of his own child while still filled with unresolved rage over his own experience of child abuse. These are the well-crafted stories of a gifted writer. The book won the 2017 Prize Americana for prose.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Brazaitis can write depression; he can characterize long lost regrets, illuminate ghosts of the past, and punctuate dashed hopes and dreams. Apprently he suffers from some of this himself, a bout of depression even cost him a city council seat irl. What must be a daily challenge for him is a bonus for readers, because I've seen very few fiction writers handle these topics as adroitly as he does.

The Rink GIrl is a collection of short stories, all of which involve an ice arena in a small town in Eastern Ohio. Front and center is a figure skater, Alice Maravicious, dubbed "Alice Marvelous" as a teen Olympic hopeful and later she goes by Maravicious again as a skating instructor and figure skating competition color commentor. Alice is the main character in many of the stories, and a walk-on character in some of the others.

Prepare to be humored, heartbroken and saddened. And enjoy it the entire time.

[Kori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book about the triumphs, victories, and failures of figure skaters. Far from it. The skating rink that serves as the centerpiece of these linked stories has seen numerous characters come and ago—the bereaved, the abused, the wounded. Each story peels back another layer of the tales that have taken place in the building’s walls, and the ending will leave you speechless. A beautiful book that I’m sure I’ll want to revisit again and again.