Fluoride: Stories

by Chad Meadows

Fiction. The surface of FLUORIDE is inhabited by bizarre misanthropes, fumbling humans, and radical subversives, but in its basement live characters that only want something just out of popularity, the perfect family, a full head of hair, restitution, a glimpse into the future to cope with the present. Chad Meadows' engaging debut collection brims in absurd and hilarious situations that are deeply sad and sympathetic. His dystopic, ultra-capitalistic worlds don't seem so far off from our own, and his protagonists--yearning for connection with a father, lover, friend, or the past--can be found in any of us. This is a book that will remind you that even the strangest of us is human, and our world is crumbling around us.

"In his wonderful debut collection, FLUORIDE, Chad Meadows gives us worlds inhabited by bizarre misanthropes, fumbling idiots, and radical subversives. These stories dramatize enough absurd and hilarious situations to last a lifetime. At the same time, these seem like people we know in their yearning for direction and connection. Indeed, this book reminds us that even the strangest among us is human."--Jeffery Renard Allen

"When I first saw Chad Meadows' FLUORIDE I thought, 'What a cute way to spell Florida--sounds French!' But don't fret, friends--this book has zilch to do with that Hell Hole, and everything to do with Good Times. If it's a 'Doom Loop' you want, well, take a knee, because this bad mamma jamma has four of them. Kicked out of your community college explosives course? Class is in session, Poindexter, courtesy of 'How To Make A Bomb.' In summary, Chad's merchandise contains 275 pages. Do the math!"--Thomas Mundt

"The stories in FLUORIDE are zany, dark tales of celebrity worship, internet addiction, and wild metaphysical quests. This is the land of the absurd, populated by baffled seekers and adventurers full of vision and persistence. Chad Meadows is a hilarious, maverick writer."--René Steinke

285 pages, Paperback

Published December 18, 2018

Reviews

[Adam Fincke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fluoride is an interesting collection of short stories. All of them have a dark theme with an undertow of sadness. At the same time there is a lot of humor in the stories to help balance those themes out and make each story feel less heavy. Chad makes great, and random, references to celebrities and facets of life and also does a nice job at poking fun at society today. The stories are often broken up by amusing advertisements pertaining to products referenced in the stories and/or a back and forth series of letters to Chad from the perspectives of Jesus and Satan. Some people might find Chad's work somewhat blasphemous, a bit vulgar, and possibly offensive. Overall, I really enjoyed this collection. I found the stories interesting, funny, and actually pretty deep once I sat down and really reflected on what the characters were really going through (beyond the humor and series of weird events). The only thing keeping me from a 5 star rating is a lack of variety in the themes of the book. I went into each piece knowing something weird, funny, and dark was going to happen which took away some of the surprise and anticipation I would have liked to have had from story to story.

[Jason Arias · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does this collection not have more reviews? The stories and interludes within are intelligent, irreverent, and hilarious. I gave thoughtful pause almost as much as I laughed out loud.

Meadows artfully blends pop culture, celebrity, death-wishes, daddy issues, misfits, time loops, social constructs, Tony Danza, Willem Dafoe, and a bloody pail of Night Train. This book shows us what fiction could be: an intrepid vehicle used to explore the inner and outer landscape of everything.