Just thought I’d start 2015 by catching up on some reviews…
If I Would Leave Myself Behind: Stories by Lauren Becker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The writing in this collection of flash pieces captured me. I got so caught up in the moment by the oft-times brutal economy of language, of the images of despair, ferocity, hope, and survival that I was pretty breathless by the time I was done with it. So much so that when I try to sit down and wrote about the collection in aggregate, I feel like I somehow missed the forest for the trees and so I’d reopen the book, go back over a few pieces, only to find myself breathless again. I’ve done this three or four times now, so here, 5 out of 5 already!