Last One Out Shut Off the Lights

by Stephanie Soileau

This "outstanding" debut story collection from a rising star reveals Louisiana and its characters with stark honesty and empathy as they grapple with homesickness, desperation, and desire (Peter Orner).

Last One Out Shut Off the Lights is a vivid portrait of the last-chance towns of southwest Louisiana, where oil development, industrial pollution, dying wetlands, and the ever-present threat of devastating hurricanes have eroded their inhabitants' sense of home. These stories feature characters struggling to find a foothold in a world that is forever washing out from under them, people who must reckon with their ambivalence about belonging to a place so continually in flux.

An overwhelmed teenage mother leaves her infant son in a closet to buy herself a night out; a teacher with a terminally ill husband fantasizes about another man; a retiree surveys the devastation left by a hurricane and decides the fate of a lost cat; and a young woman out of options tries to drag her brother to Mexico for surgery, desperate to save his life and her own.

As Lauren Groff did for the Sunshine State in Florida, Stephanie Soileau demonstrates that Louisiana is as much a state of mind as it is a place on the map. Her fiction is a powerful reminder of the rich variety of Southern culture, and brings back into focus the Cajun language, life rhythms, and customs that still make Louisiana so unique.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Literature, Southern, Historical Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 7, 2020

About the author

Stephanie’s work has appeared in Glimmer Train, Oxford American, Ecotone, Tin House, New Stories from the South, and other journals and anthologies, and has been supported by fellowships from the Wallace Stegner Fellowship Program at Stanford University, the Camargo Foundation, the Vermont Studio Center, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. She received an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and has taught creative writing at the Art Institute of Chicago, Stanford University, and the University of Southern Maine. Originally from Lake Charles, Louisiana, Stephanie now lives in Maine.

Reviews

[Brandice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last One Out Shut Off the Lights is a short story collection about life in Louisiana, focusing on belonging, family, community, small town living, and aspiring to more.

I could feel the humidity and long hot days of Louisiana in these stories. As a whole, they were sad, yet I appreciated their realism — This was not a life is great and everything is happy collection.

My favorite was “Ranger Queen of Sulphur” which, coincidentally, is the story referencing the collection’s title. This is the one I would be interested in reading an expanded version of the most. Others I enjoyed were “The Boucherie”, “An Attachment Theory” and “The Whiskey Business”.

Given their length, it can be challenging for me to connect with short stories and feel like I’m getting something complete, but there were several in this collection that worked.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for providing a copy of Last One Out Shut Off the Lights in exchange for an honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

This short story collection could not have been blurbed by better authors. I was extremely encouraged by this and jumped at the chance to read the book when it was offered. The trouble with a book of short stories are that you love some of them and have trouble connecting to others. You hope the good outweighs the bad and in this case, it did.

"So This Is Permanence', 'An Attachment Theory', 'The Ranger Queen of Sulphur' and 'Haguillory' were my favorites. I think some aspects of certain stories were lost on me since I have lived almost all of my life in New York State. NYS and Louisiana are obviously very, different. It was interesting to sit and reflect about how cultural and geographic differences between these two states pointed its inhabitants in very opposite directions. While Buffalo, NY suffered greatly post WWII and is part of the Rust Belt, things have improved within the last decade. By pure luck, my family escaped the devastation that hit many others and that afforded me the opportunity to advance myself further than my parents and grandparents. When I read the below in 'The Ranger Queen of Sulphur', my heart just broke.

"She felt a sudden terror that this would be the moment when he would tell her, finally -- and it was about time, really -- to leave his house and go out on her own, to quit getting high and messing around and squandering the life that he had wasted himself to give her." (pg. 77-78)

Natural disasters and economic destruction have left many people in this country behind and many in Louisiana suffer mightily. What I was reminded of when reading these stories is that some don't know how to break a bad cycle. You can only aspire to what you can see and if there are so few examples of the 'right path', how can you expect someone to have that desire to follow through and achieve?

With the exception of a few stories, the continuity from beginning to end was good. One of the most important things to me when reading is how much I take away from it. I took a great deal away from this book and know I will carry it with me for a long time. Ms. Soileau is a talented writer and I would read her next book.

Thank you so much to Jessica Chun at Little, Brown and Company for sending me a finished copy to read and provide an honest review.

Review Date: 06/29/2020
Publication Date: 07/07/2020

[Bkwmlee · Rating 3 out of 5]


3.5 stars

Last One Out Shut Off the Lights is an interesting collection of short stories, all set in Louisiana, and featuring ordinary people going about their everyday lives. The various protagonists in these stories range from teenagers to senior citizens, and through their voices, we get a glimpse of what life is like living in the type of last-chance town where things always feel as though they are in a constant state of flux. The setting looms large in these stories, and in many ways, can be considered a character in and of itself, lending a hugely atmospheric nature that serves as a backdrop to each story.

Of course, as is usually the case with short story collections, some were hits and some were misses, though all shared the common feelings of incompleteness and lack of closure to them. With that said, I did like how all the stories explored issues of identity and belonging in ways both subtle and obvious — but most significantly, each story felt realistic and relatable in some manner. One of the things that struck me after I finished reading was how “ambivalence” could manifest itself in such varied ways — a sentiment that the author, Stephanie Soileau, demonstrated in a masterful way through the very different characters in each of the stories.

Overall, I enjoyed this collection, even though I wasn’t necessarily able to resonate with each character or with each story. The many blurbs for this collection describe the stories as striking, fierce, evocative, empathetic, engaging — I agree with all of these, though I would also add “cleverly and thoughtfully” written, as each story gave me pause and made me ponder, in a way that I wasn’t expecting. I also learned a lot about Louisiana — a state that I knew little to nothing about outside of the city of New Orleans being located there and also what had been in the news about Hurricane Katrina. This is a collection I definitely recommend, a worthwhile read that I’m glad to have discovered (this was Jesmyn Ward’s July pick for her book club on Literati). It’s also a relatively short read, but one that doesn’t skimp on details in its depiction of Louisiana life and culture.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last One Out Shut Off the Lights was a stunning debut collection of short stories taking place in the bayous of southwestern Louisiana by author Stephanie Soileau. This area has long been plagued by natural disasters such as hurricanes, flooding and erosion, as well the man-made disasters imposed by the presence of oil refineries and chemical plants leading to the industrial waste, contamination and pollution that has ravaged this area.

The Cajun influence as well as endurance and survival is a predominant theme pulsing through these short, many heartbreaking stories, and many unforgettable, in this hardscrabble existence. Soileau's honesty and unflinching voice as well as her empathy with these people and this area is key. The prose is stark but beautifully descriptive, making it impossible to put this book down.

A special thanks to Little, Brown, and Company for providing me with a copy of this book.

"Her mother was in the kitchen stirring a pot of roux on the stove, easing the bubbling flour-and-oil brew from pasty beige to nearly black. It filled the house with a charred, ashy tang that smelled both catastrophic and delicious."

". . . she crossed the bridge to Lake Charles and pulled off, finally at the beach. . . . On the opposite shore: a petrochemical metropolis, the likely source of this muck. . . . A long white burn-off cloud trailed from a smokestack to join a low blanket of actual clouds, which made it seem the plants and refineries might be the source of all weather and gloom."

"At night, from top of Lake Charles Bridge, the plants dazzled, a spectacle: merry twinkling lights, fires atop chimneys white and slim and tall as dinner candles. The casino boats floated at the shore, yoked to the town like a couple of water buffalo to drag it out of the sludge pit of the 1980s."

"It was the vague, embedded memory of those desolate '80s, the oil-bust years, the slim Christmases and government issued "cheese food." The bumper stickers everywhere that read LAST ONE OUT SHUT OFF THE LIGHTS! It was all of this and it was none of this. And if it wasn't this, what was it? It was her. It was in her. It was something awful in her. What candle could light such a darkness?"

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

When some of my very favorite contemporary short story writers – Kristin Valdez Quade, Molly Antopol and Adam Johnson, to name three—enthusiastically welcome a new short story writer into their ranks, I have to sit up and take notice.

Indeed, this collection does not disappoint. The stories are set in the “last-chance towns of southwest Louisiana” but most importantly, the best of the stories are set around some quirky and unforgettable characters.

The first—So This Is Permanence—deserves to be anthologized. A reluctant 16-year-old girl named Sarah who improvised her maternity wear out of death metal T-shirts, is totally unprepared to handle the bawling baby she resents. Let’s just say she is not about to win any mother of the year contest.

In another, An Attachment Theory, a mother and her young daughter Lindsey strike out on their own to buy a trailer home away from extended family. Recognizing that the daughter she loves in the most gut-wrenching way does not offer unconditional love back, she makes a shameful decision that draws them closer.

Other winners: the eponymous title story that shows what unbridled privilege can do (and this story may remind you of a certain Supreme Court justice). Camera Obscura spotlights a displaced Louisiana woman whose new husband is ill as she fantalizes about connection with a fellow schoolteacher. The last story, The Bocherie, is a part comic, part tragic, always poignant tale of Cajuns who conspire with a Sudanese family to hide a runaway cow and the ending is gasp-worthy. And the story Haguilory—about a misanthrope man in the aftermath of a hurricane—well, what can I say except it will break cat-lovers hearts.

Stephanie Soilieu excels when she dives deep into the human condition. As another reviewer said, the more ethereal stories did not have the emotional impact and did not seem to belong in this collection. Yet the majority of these stories are so well-crafted that I am very comfortable recommending it. A big thank you to the publisher, @LittleBrown, for introducing me to an exciting new writer and for sending me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard hitting and slightly skewered, these stories are based on people that lived through Hurricane Katrina; the aftermath, the consequences telling, the people transformed, haunted. An unwanted pregnancy, a lost pet, the destruction of property and belongings, although fiction, these stories were written with a touch of reality. Everyone has a story. The destruction is very real, in the physical world and in the heart's of those that survived. Sometimes, its the upheaval of life that hurts the most.

These short stories by Stephanie Soileau are wonderful, yet heartbreaking. Well written and filled with atmosphere, I would recommend Last One Out Shut Off the Lights to those wanting a glimpse (emphasize glimpse) into the aftermath of a catastrophe. Beautifully done.

Thanks to NetGalley, Little, Brown, and Company, and Stephanie Soileau for an ARC in return for an honest review.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems almost surreal to be reading this now during a time when the landscape that plays such a huge role on the characters of these stories is being braced for yet another hurricane onslaught, this time, by two systems converging almost simultaneously. These stories are told with such economy yet with attention to detail that I could see the characters almost cinematically. If pressed, I couldn't pick a favorite, with each distinct situation so strongly limned. A 16-year-old who has no interest in her newborn, contrasted with another young woman who saves up to buy herself a doublewide so she can live apart from her overprotective family. Another woman who tries to get her brother treatment in Mexico for his obesity, a man whose life in retirement which has forced him into boredom has brought out the worst in him. Even walk on characters have distinct identity. This is definitely a writer to watch.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 thoughts soon.

[caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

last one out shut off the lights was an interesting collection of stories. like most story collections, some resonated, and others fell flat. i find that soileau's strength lies in writing about ordinary people doing ordinary things- in stories like 'so this is permanence', 'the ranger queen of sulphur', and 'the boucherie', for instance, the characters are so alive they come off the page, and drag you into the humidity and stickiness of swampy southwest louisiana. but the more ethereal stories, like 'poke salad' and 'when pluto lost his planetary status' were jarring and broke up the rhythm of the collection.
i loved the unity of the collection, and the place it so vividly and lovingly portrays. it was very cohesive and gave me a new awareness of the life that exists in these small towns that somehow keep on kicking.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like any collection, I thought some stories were better than others. But having lived in Lake Charles for 14 years, I can honestly say Soileau accurately captures the feel of southwest Louisiana. This book is definitely about place. There’s an oppressiveness that pervades these stories, as stifling as the humidity. The characters struggle with climate change, with storms, with poverty, with each other. Even the people who escape don’t really leave. Soileau trusts her readers enough to not spell out the obvious, and there are a lot of morally ambiguous moments, a lot of cringes and winces and shudders, artfully written with gorgeous prose.

[Lisa Cobb Sabatini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a Proof of Last One Out Shut Off the Lights by Stephanie Soileau from Goodreads.

All together, the stories in Last One Out Shut Off the Lights by Stephanie Soileau create a picture of a place that is as much out of time as it is of our time. Readers encounter characters unique to Louisiana and yet universal, and a setting as captivating, spirited, flawed, and singular as any character. Readers may not like the ending of some stories or feel that there is no ending at all, yet those stories are as appreciated as the others, perhaps because of their openness to life in all its curves and disappointments, surprises and shocks. As each story reveals a life in one corner of the world, it opens an awareness of another universal truth about humanity.

[Martin Ott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful debut collection of stories. Enjoyed it and brought back my Army days living in Louisiana.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, he throws up his hands and says, "I just don't understand."

"What?" you say.

His eyes are bloodshot. He looks dried out, almost crisp. His fingers. His ears.

"The sad," he says. "You got what you want. We came all this way. I just don't understand the fucking sad.

from "Camera Obscura"

Stephanie Soileau's short story collection Last One Out Shut Off the Lights examines the squalid conditions of people's lives in southwestern Louisiana--with an emphasis on "squalid." Many of these characters are trapped in dead-end lives, occasionally glimpsing the possibility of a better life but, for a variety of reasons, unable to ever grasp it firmly. Soileau's focus on the grotesque takes some getting used to--there's not much beauty or sunshine within these stories. Her characters desire escape from their environment, but they cannot rise above themselves or their place. The stories, with such limited options and resources, can be claustrophobic, depressing.

Soileau is a gifted writer. She can create a scene, people it with complex characters, and allow the story to flow in unique, unexpected directions. She reminds me of Lewis Nordan and his short story collection Welcome to the Arrow-Catcher Fair as well as his novel Lightning Song. Like Nordan, Soileau vividly captures the less savory aspects of existence, of being fated by community ignorance and prejudice from ever perceiving, much less appreciating, beauty, or art, or literature.

A flaw in these stories is the abuse of the setting. Through all the stories, the denizens of Lake Charles and its surrounding towns are continuously described as pitiless, ignorant, unable to rise from the filth of environment or pollution. As a resident of the state, I understand completely these frustrations: there is ignorance, there is filth, there is injustice--but, remember, there is ignorance, filth, and injustice world-wide. Soileau's stories wrestle with this sense of hopelessness grounded in the setting. I sense at times the situation is hopeless not because of poor choices or poor education, but because it's Lake Charles.

In a youtube conversation hosted by the Portland Public Library (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pVIz...), Soileau describes how she narrowly escaped Louisiana's clutches, how as long as she remained in Lake Charles she would never have thought of college. Now she's in Maine and she's happy, writing stories about the squalid conditions existent in her home state--but, in effect, not doing anything about it.

Like most rural areas, Louisiana struggles with "brain drain," with the exit of talented people elsewhere. How does this help the very people described in these short stories? Who remains, educated and enlightened, to assist?

Soileau is a gifted writer; these stories are well-done. I cannot fault her for bowing out. I only wish instead of wowing her new friends with tales of decrepitude and stupidity of life in Louisiana, she would take the time to actually do something to alleviate it. There's time--and hope.

[Bibi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I visited Louisiana PRE-Katrina and this book gives me a glimpse of how things may have changed. This collection of short stories reflect the lives of the people in this state whether they have moved on or are still there. The picture is mostly bleak as residents grapple with natural disasters, environmental damage, oil rigs and pollution, or with simply getting by given existing job and educational opportunities.

While I prod through the book in its entirety, I found only a few with real substance. I must admit that I am not normally drawn to short stories however some of stories featured are bold, courageous, and touching.

In "So This Is Permanence", the reader is outraged by a teenage mother who is so flippant about motherhood and her baby. Irresponsibly she leaves the baby with the father who is just as young and did not know that he fathered a child. Then in her insouciance, "she imagined the boys - and this made her laugh out loud - re-abandoning the baby on the front steps in an elaborately stealthy maneuver..."

Contrast that to the mother in "Attachment Theory" who tries exceptionally hard to secure the affections of her daughter who appears more attached to her family.

...every bit of her daughter's love went to these people, Kay's family, who had given up nothing for Lindsey's sake. who would shove her away when they were tired of reciting the same rhyme fifty times or when her diaper was dirty...

In "The Ranging Queen of Sulphur", a sense of hopelessness prevails with an obese brother and Deana's future prospects - "Deana was accomplishing exactly nothing, going exactly nowhere; that she would never type or drive or toke her way out of this place that pinned her like a boulder on her toe..."

What I found interesting in "The Boucherie" is the dance with the community and Sudanese Fatima as she tries to settle down with her family in a community which does not understand her Muslim fate nor her culture. Not surprising to learn of talented immigrants forced into menial jobs due to language and other barriers.

A book whose title reflect the oil-bust years, is a replica of the bumper sticker which surfaced in desolate 1980s. An okay read which makes me want to visit Louisiana again.

[Angel (Bookn.All.Night) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Rounded to a 3

I've always struggled with short stories as they never get involved or developed enough for me. I know some who love them and I'm definitely recommending this to those who love this format.

Some of the longer stories I really enjoyed but the shorter ones were just that...too short ... for me. Overall an enjoyable book as it took me out of my comfort zone and was filled with thoughtful and beautiful writing.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having grown up in the same region as the author and, like her, having lived away for 20+ years now, this was a "comfort read" for me. South Louisiana, unlike many places, never really leaves you regardless of how long you've been away. This is a fantastic collection that really plugs into a unique people and culture. There are characters who feel trapped there & can't wait to escape. Others who have and feel adrift trying to fit in where they've landed. Still others who are perfectly content in their sense of home & self right where they are, for better or worse. Even a Sudanese family who finds themselves trying to fit into the tight-knit Acadian culture.

As was mentioned in another review, some of these resonated with me more than others, but those that did (most of them) painted a vivid picture of the people and places of home. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Mary Lins · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Last One Out Shut Off the Lights”, is a short story collection by Stephanie Soileau, interestingly, there are 11 stories here, but none of them shares the title of the collection, instead it is referring to a bumper-sticker noted in one of the more desolate stories, and sums up the ethos therein.

Our setting (very familiar to me in Houston, we have our own “Plantlight” vistas) is in and around Lake Charles, Louisiana, and the setting is almost a character itself. Mentions of Goth clothing, Princess phones, phone books, cassette tapes, typewriters, VHS, “The Simpsons” (okay, that one doesn’t count because they are still on!) indicate that these stories take place in decades past, adding to the sense that time has passed over these petrochemical refinery towns, and these struggling characters.

The first story concerns a teen-mom, Sarah, who fails to connect with her son. It goes from mildly amusing to horrifying pretty quickly. Another shows us the small life of Kate, a single mother who buys a trailer to be free from her cramped family home populated with her father and three siblings, and her attempts to woo her daughter away from them. Deana, an avid computer gamer (avatar: Azama Ranger Queen) works at a predatory Pay Day Loan shop, and is trying to get her morbidly obese brother Lap Band surgery in Mexico where it’s affordable. Janessa, a smart young girl with the best chance of breaking away towards success, confronts issues of sexual assault and privilege on campus.

One story deals with the “forgotten” victims of hurricane Rita, which hit east Louisiana and west Texas about a month after Katrina; FEMA trainers and blue tarps up for years. The final story deals with a lost cow and the nature of neighborhoods dealing with “others”.

If there is a theme to most of these stories it is that most of them are about women attempting to overcome obstacles in their lives when either their own bad or careless choices have resulted in backing them against a wall, or simply when their life’s circumstances have dealt them a bad hand. Some of them we root for wholeheartedly, some we uncomfortably shake our heads at.

Soileau’s writing is exceptional, she grew up in the Lake Charles area and only someone from Louisiana could so beautifully and aptly describe the smell of a roux:

“It filled the house with a charred, ashy tang that smelled both catastrophic and delicious.”

Every story was beautifully written, (even the “experimental” one that I didn’t quite “get”) with compelling characters richly drawn in only a few pages. In many cases I badly wanted the stories to continue! I hope Soileau is working on a novel; I’ll be first in line!

[Chris Pomeroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful, funny, wise, and deeply felt collection, filled with vivid characters. The stories center on life in SW Louisiana, and though Soileau is always focused on the people in these stories, she also explores the environmental degradation of the region, particularly at the hands of the area's petroleum industry. Can't recommend this enough.

[David Gallianetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting mix of short stories that allow the author to display a mix of writing styles. Quick read that's perfect if you're between some larger reads.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephanie Soileau’s debut short story collection, Last One Out Shut Off the Lights, brings a vivid voice and unforgettable imagery to Louisiana. Primarily set in the southwest corner of the state, these stories introduce us to the Cajun culture, its people, and their homeland. Some stories straightforward, others experimental, all poignant and beautiful, the tales of Last One Out Shut Off the Lights are memorable and distinct, and are sure to be enjoyed by lovers of stories of the American South.

So This is Permeance (3/5)
A teenage girl rejects the baby she has recently given birth to, and instead tries to reclaim her youth by engaging in risky, rebellious behavior.

So This is Permeance was in many ways horrifying due to the abuses inflicted upon this teenage mother’s infant son, but also shows the very real potential consequences of forcing and/or encouraging women to follow through with unwanted pregnancies. We can’t assume that every woman will automatically take to her child once it is born, and So This is Permeance shows what happens when the mother-child bond just isn’t there.

An Attachment Theory (4/5)
A young mother takes the steps to move out of her childhood home, but finds that the bonds her seven year old daughter has formed with her family members aren’t that easy to break.

This story was quite interesting to me. Many generations of families in Louisiana live in homes together, or you find grandparents, aunts, or godparents raising a loved one’s children. What happens when a child bonds better with one of their relatives than their own parents?

The Ranger Queen of Sulphur (4/5)
A young woman, disillusioned by her hometown’s prospects and stuck in a rut that she can’t find a way out of, attempts to help her morbidly obese brother get lap band surgery in Mexico.

The Ranger Queen of Sulphur spoke to me because it is a reminder of the ways that people can so easily become complacent and accept mediocrity and just “getting by” as the status quo. This story represents so many people living in poverty and without prospects, and shows that it really takes wanting something better for yourself to make it happen.

Poke Salad (3/5)
A man calls his daughter to tell her about what could have been his last meal.

Poke Salad is a very short story featuring a phone call by a man named Nason (connection to character in An Attachment Theory?) to his daughter. Poke Salad reads much like an anecdote and serves as a peek into the ways people relate to each other and the things they find to talk about.

The Whiskey Business (2/5)
A high school girl navigates a myriad of issues at her academic boarding school, including power, privilege, and sexual assault.

The Whiskey Business had too much going on to be effective as a short story. This tale shines light on the power and privilege that money can buy, shielding rapists and disreputable characters from consequence, yet it felt too all over the place to be of much effect.

When Pluto Lost His Planetary Status (3/5)
A metaphor-laden story compares Pluto and the recent discovery of his many “brothers and sisters” out there at the far end of the galaxy to a “bastard” child who learns his dad has fathered other sons and daughters.

I’ll admit that I didn’t quite “get” what Soileau was going for here, but I enjoyed reading it for its poetic language and thought-provoking imagery.

Mr. A (4/5)
The questionable director of a child theatre troupe seemingly has eyes for one of his prodigies, a teenage black boy, who has also caught the eye of a church-grown girl in the troupe.

Mr. A was interesting and at times, had me questioning my perception of reality. Are things as they appear in this story or are we seeing something that is not there?

Cut Off, Louisiana: A Ghost Story (3/5)
One of Soileau’s more experimental stories, Cut Off, Louisiana takes us to the old days of Bayou Lafourche, once a distributary of the Mississippi River.

Having roots in Lafourche Parish, I appreciated this story, although I did have difficulty following some parts even though I am familiar with the area, people, and French language; so I can imagine that those not from or familiar with Acadiana will have some difficulty with this story.

Haguillory (4/5)
An ornery man and his wife spend the day crabbing.

I really liked Haguillory because not only did it contain so many touches of life in Louisiana, but it also gave a realistic portrayal of how relationships can breakdown over time.

Camera Obscura (3/5)
A Louisiana transplant out west deals with her husband’s terminal illness by indulging in fantasies about a coworker.

A solid story about leaving the place where you grew up, but not being able to escape.

The Boucherie (3/5)
When an interstate accident sends cattle headed to the slaughterhouse out all over town, one cow ends up in the yard of a newly immigrated Sudanese family, whose neighbors try to convince them to let the neighborhood residents butcher her.

The Boucherie focuses on immigration and how cloistered communities react to “outsiders.” This story shines a spotlight on a merging of cultures and customs in small town Louisiana.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Hurricane Laura made landfall on the Louisiana and Texas coasts, I happened to be finishing a collection of short stories that are set largely in that same area. Stephanie Soileau's publisher sent me a copy of her debut collection of short stories Last One Out Shut Off the Lights to read and review. Soileau grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and she sets this collection firmly within the setting that she is intimately familiar with. This intimacy sees Soileau imbue each story with the rich culture, community, and resilience of the people of her home state.

The first couple of stories set the tone for the work as a whole. So This Is Permanence and An Attachment Theory both see young mothers coming to terms with the realities of their motherhood. In one, a teenage mother is grappling with raising a child of her own while still being a child herself. She has little support and simply wants to go back to life as it was before. In the other, The mother and child have a more established relationship. This mother is purchasing her own place, finally leaving the security of her childhood home to make it on her own. Both grapple with the bond between mother and child and reveal the different realities of family life in the area.

I'm sure the fact that a massive storm was threatening to make landfall in the area I was reading about had an impact on which stories I connected with most. It should come as no surprise then that my favorites of the book were both about everyday people making the most of a disaster. Haguillory tells the story of a man and his wife making due in the aftermath of a major storm. The couple lives in a smaller town, overshadowed by the major cities that were also ravaged by the storm. The damage was no less devastating, but the support of those more populated areas is much stronger than theirs. The story reveals the man's internal struggle to make sense of his place in life while also battling inner demons that tell him his life doesn't matter.

The Boucherie is the final story in this collection, a perfect ending that encapsulates many of the themes of the other installments. This time, the community isn't dealing with a natural disaster, but a freak accident that caused a big rig hauling cattle to overturn, leaving the bovine to roam freely away from the vehicle. One stray cow has made its way into the tiny neighborhood and into the yard of a Sudanese family. I personally witnessed the way a community can come together in the aftermath of Hurrican Harvey, and Soileau's writing captures that sense of community and erosion of division for the sake of a common goal. It provides optimism and understanding that seems to be severely lacking these days. After several stories that were a bit darker in nature (even this one has its share of gloomier moments) this was a brilliant way to end the collection on a high note.

It was hard to read Last One Out Shut Off the Lights without having the impending storms cast their shadow over my reading. Louisiana is a state that is no stranger to disaster, but it is also no stranger to what it takes to work through and overcome adversity. Be it weather events, economic hardships, or strained personal relationships, the characters in these stories are each facing some kind of challenge that we can all relate to. Behind every generalized news story or statistic lies a real person, the kind of people that Soileau is familiar with, and the kind of people who inhabit her writing. Her prose is direct and often times stark, allowing the depth of her characters and their emotional development to be the focus of her words. As with any collection of short stories, you'll no doubt find some stories that you enjoy more than others. That being said, there is no denying the inherent humanity that resides on each page. This is a fantastic debut from a promising author who I can't wait to read more from in the future.

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 3 out of 5]

via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙫𝙖𝙘𝙪𝙪𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙥𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙜𝙤 𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢.

These short stories by Stephanie Soileau are made of little hurts and struggles in Louisiana. Illegitimate children sharing the same orbit as siblings (strangers to them), theater kids looking to be Mr. A’s favorite, rivers moving into the towns, ghosts, bullfrog meals, marshes, devastating hurricanes and all the people caught in between.

It begins with the shocking permanence of choices, with the story of teenager Sarah as she is left alone for the first time since giving birth to her baby boy. The child, like a toy she is bored with or some mysterious, needy creature; one she prefers others to deal with. Wrestling with her emotions, angered her mother and sister are forcing her to care for her son, all she wants is to cast it all off. Where has her life gone? He will be okay in the closet, while she slips out, trying to forget this bawling responsibility.

In 𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘺, Kay and her little girl are at odds, and all she wants is to make a home for them, one where her own parents and siblings don’t have any say. Family can be a comfort or suffocate like cling film. The real distance between them is the ever present question, ‘who is my daddy?’ Life is mean and sometimes mother’s can be too, especially when exhausted by their child’s petulance.

In 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘶𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘶𝘳a woman just wants to cure her brother, convincing him salvation for his particular malady is in Mexico. But will he surrender to her fading optimism? Can she continue to be the presentable sibling?

A girl is violated and her friends refuse to stay silent, but what changes? Characters fighting help and learning to accept it, mean spiteful men, desire that disorients, a glimpse at what forgetting looks like and love that is devastating failures.

This is a world full of people who can’t transcend the roles they are trapped in. If there is a brighter horizon, they aren’t rich enough to afford the view. I had my favorites, like 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘖𝘣𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢, the loneliness, the desire for abandonment from cancerous reality and the ceaseless struggle of marriage. A woman, stuck in a state of suspension, waiting for what? Change? Happiness? Oblivion? Some stories are solid, others odd- it is a raw collection that felt like salt in wounds. Out tomorrow!

Publication Date: July 7, 2020

Little, Brown and Company

[Jennifer Holloway Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciated the eyes into this region of the country. I think after Katrina the country has forgotten the flavor and authenticity of this area and the poverty that has encroached. I felt a tremendous amount of heart and soul in the writing mixed with a bit of desperation in many of the stories, however some just did not feel native or work in this collection for me. If you are going to write about an area, stick to issues that are centralized in that area and could not be written about anywhere else. The last story I will remember for a long time and really resonated with me. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

[S Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent story collection. The majority of them take place among the young rural poor women of Louisiana. I only hope that the author was using her imagination and has not lived through many of the situations portrayed. My one gripe was the lack of translation for all the French phrases interspersed throughout the book with the exception of one near the end. I read an advanced reader's copy so that fault MIGHT have been corrected when the final version was published.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephanie Soileau is kind of under the radar as a southern writer but she shouldn't be. This was a fine short story collection of literary fiction. As a resident of Louisiana, I feel I'm qualified to say: after you read this book you will feel like you've visited the most intimate corner of the state (and yes, the places she describes are very different from Bourbon Street). "The Boucherie" was my favorite story.

[Patrick Probably DNF · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stars for originality of voice and setting. Four stars for inconsistency. These stories work best when depicting the lives of the poor, the struggling, the destitute in the context of Cajun influenced Louisiana. The BASS winning "Haguillory" really shines here, followed by the first story in this collection, "So This Is Permanence" and the last, "The Boucherie." Many of the others focus on high school or college students grappling with circumstances we've seen elsewhere.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was beautifully written, although I may be slightly biassed due to my love of short stories. The writing style was similar to that of Ellen Hopkins. Most of the stories seemed to be rooted in some sort of pain or hardship, but all very enjoyable none the less. I haven't read a book this good in ages, and my kudos to the author.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection of stories, all set in Louisiana. The most memorable are those with strong character development, often characters that are facing extreme hardship, living the best they can while enduring significant poverty. There is no disguising that their lives are sometimes not pretty.

[Patricia Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

debut book of short stories set in the Louisiana area. some were more interesting than others. found the story of the estranged couple going crabbing interesting especially when the man throws away a found cat. was not expecting that. also the story about killing the found cow and the family from Sudan. what a visual all that blood was flooding out of the garage.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have appreciated this book more if I had been from Louisiana. There was just enough French sprinkled into this story, that some of the content was lost to me.
But on top of that, so many of the stories were so dire and depressing. Not exactly a book you want to pick up and devote.
I felt a bit of the same when I read Hillbilly Elegy.