No Call Too Small

by Oscar Martens

By the end of the day, a cop must choose between ethics and social death. A camp counsellor, stuck deep in the woods with a small group of boys, only has a few hours before the DTs kick in. Adult children scramble to get the best of what remains of their mother's estate, but funeral plans may be premature. Sandwiched between a depressed mother and a careless father, a young girl must help attract customers to the family business, no matter the cost. On this dark, winding road of stories, there's little choice but to hang on and meet whatever's over the rise head on.

Genres: Short Stories

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2020

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always found a chance to read short stories opens an author up to you and gives them access to reading list where a novel may never be started.
I found Oscar Martens a good storyteller with interesting quirking tales with wit and unusual ingredients. The stories are a twist in themselves, rather than a simple narrative with an unexpected ending.

Unfortunately in some ways this makes the actual story less memorable other than the instant gratification of finishing it. Like laughing at the jokes of a comedian and thinking they are funny but being unable to remember any jokes or even a punchline.

I left the last two stories to read to better illustrate my review - reading them just prior to writing this so I can speak with more clarity.

In “Killers are useful” you have a post- apocalyptic tale of how things might be in a small community trying to survive. How personal choice and ambition might become blurred and why the group’s choices may supplant individual freedom. The author in a short story raises ideas and issues longer novels may not address. But as mentioned above the nuisances between characters is hinted at but never resolved.

In “Lake Pinot” you have an enforced detox of an adult trying to impress his ‘to die for girlfriend’. Unfortunately for him this happen at a Christian outward bounds camp. His partner has all the faith; she has volunteered him to lead a canoe hike with 3 12 year-old boys. He lacks the authority, leadership and above all else he is without any alcohol. (In booze he trusts). Perhaps, his funniest short story, hopefully not at the expense of religion but due to the principal that what could go wrong, does. The campfire lighting is hilarious as is the frantic paddle back to camp.
Incidentally this last tale is my favourite; it is less complicated and the characters well drawn.

For all that I would recommend this author to you and I will look to reading more of their work.
For this insight, I am grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A varied collection of stories, that seem bound together by a dry wit and what I can only call a real sense of endearance towards its characters.

The world is a mundanely chaotic place, and the characters (sometimes only half-heartedly) try to hold on to it. The stories are brimming with longing, which gives them a nervous vitality, even when (or maybe especially when) the longing is for the wrong things or people.

The language is direct, unfussy, but regularly hits poetic notes. And I laughed a lot, which is a huge compliment.

No Call Too Small - 3.5 stars
The Schadenfreude Rail - 3.5 stars
New - 4 stars
Behaviour Befitting A Young Man - 3.5 stars
Breaking On The Wheel - 4 stars
Capture And Release - 5 stars
How Beautiful, How Moving - 4 stars
Imagining Milan - 4 stars
The Janitor - 4 stars
Command Mystique - 4 stars
I See A Man - 4 stars
Killers Are Useful - 4 stars
Lake Pinot - 4 stars

(Kindly received an ARC from Central Avenue Publishing through Netgalley)

[Nycole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bunch of short little stories to pass the time here and there, which is something I wanted for this weekend.
I didn’t care for all of them, but overall not bad!

[Josh Sieders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked up this kindle deal because I like short stories and this one was recommended for people who like George Saunders. I liked it well enough. Like I said, I enjoy short stories, but I am often confused by them. I like the variety and length, the tightness of the storytelling, the singular focus. It can be hard to jump into one and figure out what's going on and equally hard to know what the point of a story is when it ends abruptly.

That was true in this collection. Some interesting characters, some interesting plots, nothing quite as bonkers as Saunders' crazy concepts though. I would try this author again.

[Ann Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no idea why I previously gave this short story book 5 stars! Re-reading it I was not happy with it at all. Sorry if I mislead anyone.

Although I do have to thank NetGalley and New York Publishing and author Oscar Martens for my ARC copy as I always love short stories and anthologies!

[Mark MacKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oscar Martens has that rare and particularly enjoyable quality of being a literary writer who spins a damn good yarn. He writes tight, efficient stories that punch the plot ahead, often turning and accelerating forward on a single word. The stories in No Call Too Small, Oscar Martens' second book of short fiction, feature believable characters responding to believable situations. These are often people we feel like we know.

Martens is an exceptional observer of what makes people tick, and these stories often pivot on the point of longing, of unfulfilled dreams which make up the numinous and sometimes unconscious things we hope to become part of our identity, whether we happen to be a janitor, a stockbroker, a police officer, a barista, a family matriarch, or a soldier. Solid storytelling is reinforced by the fact that Martens, a professional mariner when he is not writing, is a guy who "knows stuff.” A reader comes away with the feeling that these stories are carefully researched or rooted in things with which the author has some personal expertise. A resident of Burnaby, B.C., Martens also firmly grounds his stories in place. People familiar with the geography of southern British Columbia will appreciate the meticulous accuracy of his settings.

Martens creates characters who often face the hardest type of struggle: the monumental question of what action will reflect what is true to who they really are. This is variously reflected in a police officer facing the terrible moral choice whether to throw away his one last connection with people or abandon his ethical centre, a young woman who can no longer hide awareness that her emotionally abusive boyfriend has to go, and a farmer suddenly meeting an unprecedented chance for one great and lasting thing in his life with his marriage and livelihood in the balance. Other stories here reveal strengths the characters didn't know they had.

Oscar Martens has long had a talent for drawing characters with sympathy even when they are themselves unsympathetic. No Call Too Small is an immensely entertaining collection which showcases Martens' superb craftsmanship as a short story writer and his compassion for the sometimes tragic dignity of human beings in awful situations.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marten's writing is crisp and pointed. At times, the ideas and details race off the page so quickly and thoroughly one loses track of everything else. My favourite reason to read. There is so much in each tale that I find I need a short break between each to reflect on the story and the writing. I'm not yet finished, but find the collection eminently satisfying. I really am enjoying Oscar's pace and tone.

Stories are set easily in places he knows well; settings I've rarely seen captured on page. Each story leaves me wanting to know what else happened to these people. Then I want to know how many other people are bouncing around on Marten's mind.

This collection of stories is surprisingly, perfectly timed. No Call Too Small was released just as we all settled in the pandemic response. Undoubtedly, interfering with all planned in person promotion efforts. None of the tales take long to read, which is ideal for the interrupted attention span that follows so many of us through stressful times.

I was introduced to this collection through a friend who knows the author well. Honestly, I bought the book to support a friend. What a joy to find that a friend's art is amazing. It is entirely satisfying.

I look forward to Oscar Marten's next work.

[Darlene Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy a good short story and this is an awesome collection. Although the stories are varied, they all have an underlying theme of relationships. Whether a relationship with strange creatures, an aging parent, a group of campers, or a misunderstood partner, each well-written story has its own take on the subject and a clever twist at the end. For anyone who thinks writing a short story is easy, think again. It is evident much effort was put into each story in this book. Well done, Oscar Martens.

[Patricia Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love short stories and Martens knows his craft. The prose flies along, carrying you into the minds and lives of odd, yet surprisingly, sympathetic characters. There are moments of deep recognition, handled expertly. A dark humor that speaks to human frailty and what makes it (and us) bearable. These characters could easily be that worried looking person sitting adjacent to you in the local coffee shop; the stranger that catches your eye as you pass on the street; that guy on the bus, who sits next to you and smells of the ocean. Here is what lays beneath a fleeting, first impression. What others hide. What makes them tick.

I enjoyed the entire collection. Having said that, my personal favorites were: New, Breaking on the Wheel, Imagining Milan, The Janitor, Lake Pinot.

[Leo Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprise--I picked it up during a book-shopping binge. The stories are all solid in technical ability, and the language is unfussy but satisfying.
Some truly caught me off guard, which was fun. Sort of tinted with dark humor.

One unintentional surprise was the story I liked the least, which, based on the blurb, I anticipated enjoying. "Lake Pinot" did not quite work for me, but in fairness, I have sort of in-depth experience with several plot points, which makes me either a prejudiced or equalizing reader. Probably both.

In any case, enjoyed this and look forward to more stories from the author.

[Nasreen Pejvack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and tight writing take us on journeys through amusing, irrational and driven situations in stories of people’s objectively small but subjectively meaningful adventures. Great insights into life’s essences of challenge, pain, love, anger, obsession, and everything else that makes us human in all its simplicities and complications. Enjoy these stories for their fearless observations of human nature.

Well Done!

[Lara Marie Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand. I just couldn’t connect.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty solid collection. I didn't like all of them (no surprise), but the stories overall are good. A decent bet for literary anthology fans.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!