The Backlot Gay Book Forum discussion

Kergan Edwards-Stout is a good writer. The short story is a format that doesn't necessarily satisfy me, because it doesn't offer the opportunity to really fully immerse oneself in a characters. Except, of course, when it does.

Edwards-Stout's first book, the much applauded "Songs for a New Depression," resonates throughout this collection of stories. While the holiday theme is consistent, these are not so much holiday stories as stories that explore the emotional charge that holidays release. The novel was very much autiobiographical, and one can see bits and pieces of the author's life glimmering within the thoughtful prose of these smaller works.

The two stories that hit me hardest were "The Cape," about a single gay man heading out to Provincetown to spend a solitary Christmas in his cottage, and the title story, "Gifts not Yet Given," which centers on a woman's obsessive planning for her teenage daughter. They are very different stories, but both of them brought me to tears because of their very different connections to my own life. And that's what I like in an author - finding something that touches a nerve that sets my own mind spinning.

Now, I'm one of these cranky older gay men who feels that gay authors should write about gay characters. I found myself resenting the fact that Edwards-Stout doesn't always include gay characters in his stories ... but I forced myself to get over my own prejudices and just read. "The Cape" focuses on a gay man, while "Gifts Not Yet Given" is about a straight couple. Yet they had similar emotional impact for me.

That's what you need to do for collections of short stories - be patient, keep reading, honor the commitment of the author by taking the time to read and listen and let your mind see what the author is writing. It's worth the trouble.