Manifold

by Travis Cravey

A collection of flash stories by author Travis Cravey

Genres: Short Stories

44 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2021

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This chapbook was everything I had hoped for, and more, gathering together many of Travis Cravey's finest pieces, some previously published and some new, for this collection.

Having followed Travis for a couple of years on Twitter, I have enjoyed reading his use of writing prompts to provide his unique snapshots of his America. But he really excels when unbound from the restrictions of a tweet; he writes with such honesty, blurring the lines between fiction and creative non-fiction with his fantastic depictions of raw human emotions: anger; embarrassment; loneliness; fear; love.

Travis' stories truly demonstrate the power of flash fiction: in the best hands, the plotlines/characters never overstay their welcome, saying everything that needs to be said before leaving, whilst ensuring something is left behind for you to dwell upon long after they've gone. The standout stories for me here were 'Solitaire' and 'Pine Box', but I loved them all.

Thank you to Emerge Literary Journal for bringing this project all together, hopefully one of many for Travis–I will happily read anything Travis writes. (August 2021)

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty solid collection of fifteen flash fiction stories. Cravey has a real skill for conveying both tone/atmosphere and character. Some pieces felt like character sketches or vignettes, but a feeling of disillusionment (failed jobs, marriages, hopes, etc.) loosely ties the whole collection together. Made me want to read more of his work.

[Scott Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big fan of this dude and how down to earth he is and it is plain to see in this book of stories as his characters dig the hard earth and search for answers at the bottom of a glass.

My favourite was Grundfarben, which managed to depict war with beauty and is probably the most different piece in the book.

The Battle March of Johnny Luther is pure brilliance and kind of sums up the style of the collection that comes on like a Springsteen album as the hard working characters search for answers beyond their somewhat difficult lives and problems.

Look forward to seeing another collection from Cravey soon.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Manifold” (2021) is a chapbook of short stories by rising star Travis Cravey; published by Emerge Literary Journal (New York). The landscape described by Cravey is inhabited with desperate characters largely resigned to their fate, with only a few still hopeful for a break or a miracle or a love that never quite arrives. Unrelenting, sometimes bleak, but ultimately honest prose is offered here for those who are still willing to walk a while in another mans shoes. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work.

[Sara Dobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cravey writes with a gritty realism that cuts to the heart of the matter. "Manifold" is full of broken hearts, loneliness, and grief, with characters searching for something more. Stories like "A Folk Tale of Texas RR1222" and "Solitaire" are full of a yearning and weariness. "Pine Box" is nostalgic, looking back on lost love. The entire collection is a stunning study in southern Americana, a beautiful book, highly recommended!

[Christina Xiong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of flash fiction is written in Cravey's usual precise, seamless, prose.
The brilliance in these stories is the clarity in ordinary moments, which are anything but ordinary. Some characters transcend a bit, many sink a bit: it's raw and real.
These characters are people you feel like you know, flawed and eaten up with wanting and regret, we recognize them.

[Meagan Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and heartbreaking with those ambiguous endings that tear up your guts and leave you thinking about them for days. Fucking loved it.

[Christopher Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Travis Cravey is not magician, nor is he oracle but that's his gift to us. What is generally plainly simple and right in front of us often the most painful of truths. Travis Cravey's prose isn't escapist but the stories can definitely give you a window into the souls of men who wish they didn't have souls or wish they could repossess them (from a devil doesn't really want them either).

I recommend this collection to all men and to those all who frequently romanticize them.

[Matthew McGuirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Travis presents the real, the raw and something beautiful all at once in his collection of flash fiction. He paints scenarios that feel familiar and deftly approaches love, heartbreak, work and other universal topics. Travis has eyes that see these universal themes in the world, but his voice is unique and perceptive on the topics he approaches. A collection to be consumed in a sitting, but one that will stick with you much longer than that!

[Sarah Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cravey’s work has an inimitable way of drawing you in from the first line with his compelling prose and characters that immediately come to life on the page. His unique voice gets straight to it, while still painting a vivid world without so many words—he transports you into the story—everything between the lines, the things left unsaid, make you feel as though you are watching the story rather than only reading it. This collection of short stories is incredible. I cannot recommend it enough!

[Lisa De · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this collection of short stories. Travis has a way of storytelling that is real, and gritty, and full of raw emotion. He is skilled at delivering stories that grab the reader instantly, and twist their hearts with truths that leave them aching, in so few words. Travis taps into the unfiltered everyday life of his characters, and the readers as well. A pleasure to read.

[Travis Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this little chap book of blue collar, hard-scrabble stories. Travis Cravey uses a tremendous amount of space for things left unsaid, and it has multiplying effect on how and what you feel when you read his stories. I hear he's working on a novella. If all of his other work is any indication, that'll be awesome, too.

[Alfred Stifsim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cravey knows how to tell the kind of story that can cut you deep in just a handful of words. These are stories that examine life through struggle, often leading the reader to fill in the blanks with their own experiences of hardship, mistakes, and redemption.

Excellent read. Highly recommended.

[Jamie Bruhn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this book. Reminds me of Bukowski and Poe Ballantine.

[Margot Stillings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Travis Cravey has a voice you would know anywhere. That's Travis in every thing he writes. This collection of flash stories are raw, heartbreaking, and so wonderfully earnest. One of the best collections I read this year and I suspect for a long time. Maybe until his next collection hits the shelves.

[Sarah Tollok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Travis Cravey masterfully wields tough, gritty imagery to hide and then slowly reveal the vulnerable, soft underbelly of humanity. Although this writer is known for the masculine energy he imbues in his works, I was most touched by the feminine images. Even though they are often the foil to explain the loneliness and longing of the male characters, they are also clear and sharp in their own way.

I feel like I can still hear the escalating screams of the exhausted solitaire-playing mother who finds her young child dealing out her cards. Then there's the mother who flees with her children in the night. She has an anti-Lion King moment on the side of the highway with her sons, peering out over the land beyond.

"It isn't ours, son. And none of it ever will be."

Damn, Travis. I'll be thinking about that one for a long time. Well done, sir.

[Laura Besley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As readers we look for truths within the words of stories, truths that can take on any form, but truths we can relate to, that speak to us, that find a home in our hearts. For me, this line by Cravey in the story 'Joy Ride' is one of those truths: 'There is a weariness in being lonesome that drains you.'

'Manifold' by Travis Cravey (ELJ Publications, 2021) is beautiful, searing collection of stories that will squeeze your heart, then rip it out. Highly recommend.

[Holly Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, concise snapshots of Americana and the daily grind brought to life by Travis' ability to put into words what we're all feeling.