slighted.

by Chad V. Broughman

A young man that just wants his father's approval, a woman who just wants the best for her misunderstood daughter, a young girl forced to see the harsh side of humans-Chad V. Broughman's short story collection slighted. brings together twelve stories with suspenseful yet twisted realities. He explores mental illnesses, loss of childhood innocence, and the complex reality of humans. These stories show what it means to be misunderstood and forced to make decisions that show the reality of human nature. There is a feeling of relatability that runs through many of the stories and makes readers think back to some of the decisions they might have made. Broughman skillfully brings in characters that readers can relate to and draws them back to the reality of a human's decision-making process. He understands and works with the complexities of the human psyche which leads readers to face realities they otherwise would not realize. "I try not to feel anything, no sadness, no anger, no love; yet I feel all three, welled up and perched in my throat," Broughman writes in the story "unfolded." This is the reality that many people have to face when they see someone they are not particularly close to close to death. Broughman uses this to get people to think about how they would feel in these particular situations. It gets the readers to wonder and feel the need to carry on reading.

124 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2022

Reviews

[Lisa Mcqueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"slighted" by Chad V. Broughman packs a powerful punch in a small number of pages. This author creates his short stories and characters so beautifully imperfect and so humanly believably, that you feel you know them from somewhere in your real world. Others you feel were a secret you knew and held close from somewhere else in time. You are drawn into the pages by the honest relatability and become invested in the journey. From the traumatic experience of "mother of a hanged girl" to the equally powerful "under the porch", this author delivers a full circle experience in a handful of paragraphs that doesn't leave the reader feeling incomplete. However, this reader found herself selfishly wanting more of nearly all the characters.
Chad V. Broughman crafts his book in a way that takes the reader to a personal place of self-assessment in a thought-provoking delivery of humanness reserving any possible judgment for the reader. There are times when the reader feels as though there is a personal and moving conversation occurring between themselves and Mr. Broughman with his characters.
I greatly enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author in the future.