Not Normal, Illinois: Peculiar Fictions from the Flyover

by Michael Martone (Editor), Max Apple (Contributor), Joel Brouwer (Contributor)

Do Midwesterners have a peculiar way of looking at the world? Is there something not quite right about the way they see things? For such a normal place, the heartland has produced some writers who take a most individual approach to storytelling. And the result―to the delight of readers everywhere―has been stories that reveal the mystery, joy, and enchantment in the most ordinary and incidental moments of life. These 33 exceptional tales showcase the peculiarly wonderful vision of some of the region's best-known or soon-to-be-celebrated writers. Each invites its readers to see the world through different eyes and see it anew.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Michael A. Martone is a professor at the creative writing program at the University of Alabama, and is the author of several books. His most recent work, titled Michael Martone and originally written as a series of contributor's notes for various publications, is an investigation of form and autobiography.

A former student of John Barth, Martone's work is critically regarded as powerful and funny. Making use of Whitman's catalogues and Ginsberg's lists, the events, moments and places in Martone's landscapes — fiction or otherwise — often take the same Mobius-like turns of the threads found the works of his mentor, Barth.

Reviews

[Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection of "peculiar fictions from the Flyover" really showcases an interesting variety of short fiction, poetry, and even a few creative non-fiction pieces from writers from the various states that make up the American Midwest (whatever that is!). While most have at least an intriguing idea or style behind them, the sheer number of stories presented (33) tends to make the collection a bit too dense to easily get into, unfortunately. This is particularly the case in the stories that dragged a little themselves, due to some slightly overwrought pretension or other. It is cool to see so many different takes on what makes the Midwest "different", though.

Themes of dark humor, melancholy, nostalgia, and even magical realism all show up in these tales from the plains, farms, woods, and cities of the Middle West. The majority of the stories seemed to hail from the states of Illinois, Ohio, and, in particular, Indiana, and reflects the feelings of these states more than those further north or west. Some really captured the ethos of the region, I feel, while others seemed less connected to the theme, I felt. The enjoyability of the stories was not always reflected by either of these elements, though.

My favorites were the pieces of Louise Erdrich (Fuck with Kayla and You Die) and George Saunders (The Red Bow), of course, but The River Dead of Minneapolis Scavenged by Teenagers by Mark Ehling, July Snow by Scott Russell Sanders, and Natural Citizens by Deb Olin Unferth were also very interesting.

[Rachel Holtzclaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

every time a place i knew was referenced in one of these pieces i felt very warm

[Tim Storm · Rating 2 out of 5]

My personal tastes run toward peculiarity of plot and character rather than story form. Martone's tastes seem to run a little more toward experiments with form. For me, too many of these stories were self-indulgent, too clever, and ultimately not that much fun to read or ponder. There were a few exceptions. I enjoyed Michael Wilkerson's "Luna Moth," George Saunders's "The Red Bow," Kellie Wells's "Secession, XX," Curtis White's "Metaphysics of the Midwest" (until the end), and a few others (by Scott Russell Sanders, Deb Olin Unferth, Ander Monson, and Janet Kauffman). The best by far: Louise Erdrich's "Fuck with Kayla and You Die." Absolutely phenomenal. But there are 33 stories in this collection, and the majority are disappointing.

[Susanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed a few of these pieces immensely (Jesse Lee Kercheval, Louise Erdrich, Ander Monson, others), though I already knew most of those authors and appreciate their work -- which might have affected how I was reading their pieces here (e.g with generosity, familiarity). Will admit that several of the pieces in this anthology seemed too self-aware as experimental prose. Trying just a *little* bit too hard. And the truth, too, is that I am a sucker for straight-forward narrative, albeit highly stylized and technically complex. So perhaps I am not the ideal reader for this anthology. Still worth a look.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book recently to do a review of it, and not to give too much away, but I loved it. An eclectic grouping on eclectic fiction.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

These stories were too overwrought, like the authors gave themselves strange problems to solve. I gave up on it, because I lost interest in most of the storylines. Blech.