Blink and the World Goes Blank

by Dan Tarnowski, Filbert Conroy

A loosely intertwined narrative of 56 short chapters, some only a sentence long, Blink and the World Goes Blank is about the search for meaning in places devoid of it. Through the use of the second-person narrative, Filbert Conroy looks at the human condition from an almost neutral standpoint, reporting on it as an arbiter rather than participant. Some of the freshest metaphors and descriptions are found within its pages, the kind of writing that makes you sit up a little straighter and laugh out loud at its brilliance. Feeling lost or feeling found, Conroy makes it clearer why we feel anything at all.

36 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 2011

Reviews

[Ohgodyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a charming collection of short fiction. It includes 56 pieces which are two paragraphs at the longest and one sentence at the shortest. The writing is image-heavy and deals with mundane, humorous, and melancholy content that is quite relatable. Recommended for fans of Fernando Pessoa, Robert Hass, Jerzy Kosinski, and Frank O'Hara.

Images of childhood, unrequited love, and urban isolation will be familiar for many. The overall plot arcs through the four seasons, representing one year in this man's life. However, at 36 pages, this book can be read in an hour and re-read again and again. This book is available as an attractive, pocket-sized booklet independently published by On Lives Press. It is worth seeking out.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I think the humanity of it comes from the narrator attempting to adjust to isolation, and failing to do so. It would be a shame if he succeeded; but its apparent that his heart guides him to reject certain conditions that would steer him wrong. I think others will appreciate the universal themes that take on deeper meaning, such as playing hide-and-seek, noticing a chair on a roof, and many other instances."

[Julia Lipscomb]

Second person narrative is a difficult tool to accomplish, but this collection of prose poems is once situationally descriptive and universally without having a patronizing tone. I want to carry it as my pocketbook guide to sustainable living.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty cool little book of snapshot-like personal moments that seem more like memoir than fiction (the back of the book says 'microfiction'). I like it when books make me want to write, and this is one of them.