Minor Sketches and Reveries

by Alberto Balengo, Brittany Bethurem (Illustrator)

These introspective tales (described by one critic as "the perfect panacea for minds stressed by life's challenges") feature animals, allegories and melodramas of everyday life. At the center of the stories are tiny creatures (a sparrow, earthworm or paperclip) struggling to make sense of larger mysterious forces. Human protagonists are equally perplexed by ordinary events - like searching for a lost key, watching late night TV, or eating a taco.As the author admits in the afterward, these pieces feel more like "sketches" than stories with conventional plot and character. Many end at odd places or don't end at all. Scattered through the stories are moments of isolation, confusion and foreboding. Some pieces (like the essayistic " Notebooks") investigate a philosophical idea to such absurd lengths that one is almost tempted to take a nap.In one of the lighter pieces ("3 Fake Recommendation Letters,") Balengo submits fake recommendation letters (by Rabelais, Kafka and Hans Christian Anderson) to an MFA program. In a more somber story ("The Deletionist") a disgruntled system administrator tries to delete as much of his digital footprint as he can - with mixed results.Written in plain, careful language, this debut collection by Alberto Balengo depicts people (and creatures) trying valiantly to investigate a world that seems neither rational nor reassuring.

Genres: Fiction

202 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2020

About the author

Alberto Balengo (a pseudonym) was born in New Mexico and has lived most of his life in Texas. He works in health care and received his bachelor's degree from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University. He loves dogs but hates football.

Reviews

[Fajriy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories about pieces of life of human, animals, and objects.

As the title states, minor sketches and reveries, which people often don't realize or even think about, told from the first and second point of view make the story more interesting. The stories told from animals' views are my favorites, a worm on a journey to a new soil, the lost lizard, and a curious sparrow trapped inside a supermarket.

This book is an interesting, short and easy read.

I receieved a digital copy of this book via LibraryThing Members Giveaway program.

[Dean Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a surprise this book was for me! I went into it with no expectations, except the understanding from the title what would be involved. Each sketch or reverie has something to offer. Some follow a whimsical notion. Others are analytical. There are well thought out tales told from the point of view of animals and inanimate objects, from dogs to earthworms to birds to lizards, roaches, and even paperclips, able to keep their perspectives believable. There is another that takes a simple phrase and runs it out into its natural, but absurd definition, a surreal, almost Dali-esque situation that I found quite amusing. Some of the stories have an almost stream-of-consciousness rhythm to them, something that can be difficult to do well, but the author succeeds in keeping it easy for the reader to keep up. A bit of sly tongue-in-cheek humor can be found in many of the stories, another bit that I appreciated. I came to enjoy the analytical nature of the writer also in their ability to take common life situations and break them down in an intellectual way. I caught myself nodding along and agreeing on the longer section that talked about productivity and indolence, as I think we can all find ourselves thinking and doing and justifying the things mentioned there. This is the same for the frustration we have all found ourselves in when searching for something that isn't technically lost, but also eludes being found. In taking these situations and putting them under a microscope, the writer expands our understanding of ourselves, our foibles, and our humanity. Many of the stories revolve about finding our place in the world, especially how we define ourselves by our jobs or schooling or how we wonder how others view us. Upon finishing the book, I realized that there were subtle layers to the writing that lingered with me and look forward to reading whatever the writer may do in the future.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Minor Sketches and Reveries” is, as the author, Alberto Balengo, notes in his afterword, a collection of ‘minor things lying around’. However, these are successful slices of the lives of different people, animals and (charmingly) objects. Balengo acknowledges his strong bias towards creature tales, but these do not overshadow his other offerings.

These stories vary in length, perspective and style. Some are amusing (“The Paper Clip”), some are tragic (“Sparrow in the Supermarket”), while others are interminable (“The Deletionist”). However, “The Breakfast Taco” is the cream of the crop. It is short, snappy and utterly ridiculous, and incredibly captivating. Save this one for last!

There are some positive similarities with Nick Land’s “Fanged Noumena”, albeit while Land tended toward cyberpunk, Balengo favours the cartoon-esque. What is evident is Balengo has a strong ear for the written word and is clearly a talented writer. “Minor Sketches and Reveries” is a solid collection of vignettes, some fuller than others (indeed, a few might be said to finish a little unexpectedly), that encourages the reader to dip in and out of his various worlds, each one linguistically crafted to his characters.

Finally, an honourable mention for “The Earthworm”, which on first reading is an exploration of the endless complexity of dirt, yet on reflection, would be best categorised as invertebrate erotica. Not at all what the reader might have expected!