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Of Fathers & Gods
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 21, 2024
This is such an excellent debut — not only the individual stories as separate entities, but the collection as a collection. From the first paragraph of the first story, told by a young widower/almost-father, the topics are tough and my heart was broken, as are the resilient hearts of the collection’s children, ranging in ages from eight to fifty.
Humor (tragicomedy is more accurate in some cases) is used to great effect, including in a story that’s almost a sex farce but ends with a dark twist. The shock of it isn’t the collection’s only shock, but none are gratuitous; each is earned. The thematic thread of the roles of fathers is tied up, almost metafictionally, with the last story. The story is mock-humorous, then dark, then very dark, then layered. I loved it.
This line is ironic in terms of its story, as well as its being thought by a terrible person; but the worst people can sometimes think the truest things, even if they mean it in a warped way:
“No one is ever alone after falling in love with a great book.”
Humor (tragicomedy is more accurate in some cases) is used to great effect, including in a story that’s almost a sex farce but ends with a dark twist. The shock of it isn’t the collection’s only shock, but none are gratuitous; each is earned. The thematic thread of the roles of fathers is tied up, almost metafictionally, with the last story. The story is mock-humorous, then dark, then very dark, then layered. I loved it.
This line is ironic in terms of its story, as well as its being thought by a terrible person; but the worst people can sometimes think the truest things, even if they mean it in a warped way:
“No one is ever alone after falling in love with a great book.”
May 28, 2024
Once in a long while a book comes along that leaves me gasping. “Of Fathers & Gods” is one such book. It’s a collection of nine short stories, loosely unified by a father-child theme. However, the theme is really unnecessary. Roberts’ writing is so dense with tragi-comic ironies and revelations, and his characters have such dimension, that it’s enough to just get lost in the pained worlds of these people, hoping their circumstances might yield a payoff or redemption.
Based on these short fictions, it’s obvious that Roberts knows good literature and has studied the greats: O’Connor, Salinger, and Steinbeck to name a few. (I knew this title sounded familiar.) His writing is razor-sharp, economical, and hard-hitting. What can one say about bullseye prose like:
“People often feel things that cannot be seen.” (p. 83)
“No one…would likely ever forget me. The same way you don’t forget the moron who moons your grandmother’s funeral procession, or the scary clown hired for your twelfth birthday party who shows up drunk and tries to dry-hump your mom.” (p. 94)
“No one wins a war,” he said. “One side just comes out less dead than the other.” (p. 95)
“Stars are the eyes of God, surrounding the world. Always there. Watching and recording.” (p. 110)
“The words seemed not my words but the ripped flesh of friends slaughtered in a forgotten war.” (p. 142)
There are many more examples like above. Sentences like these are evidence this writer dove deep and long to wrench out his truths.
I’m somewhat flabbergasted that this is a “new” writer, and that he spent most of his adult life in business. How is a retired businessman able to inhabit the minds of characters like a 16-year-old ranch tomboy, or a redneck prostitute or her pimp, or a survivor of a Nazi death camp? Somehow Roberts was able to convincingly achieve these feats.
If “Jim Roberts” doesn’t become a household name, there’s no justice in this universe. (There’s no justice anyway…but you get the picture.) Kudos to Belle Point Press for providing a platform to a major literary talent. I hope the stars, too, are watching and recording.
Based on these short fictions, it’s obvious that Roberts knows good literature and has studied the greats: O’Connor, Salinger, and Steinbeck to name a few. (I knew this title sounded familiar.) His writing is razor-sharp, economical, and hard-hitting. What can one say about bullseye prose like:
“People often feel things that cannot be seen.” (p. 83)
“No one…would likely ever forget me. The same way you don’t forget the moron who moons your grandmother’s funeral procession, or the scary clown hired for your twelfth birthday party who shows up drunk and tries to dry-hump your mom.” (p. 94)
“No one wins a war,” he said. “One side just comes out less dead than the other.” (p. 95)
“Stars are the eyes of God, surrounding the world. Always there. Watching and recording.” (p. 110)
“The words seemed not my words but the ripped flesh of friends slaughtered in a forgotten war.” (p. 142)
There are many more examples like above. Sentences like these are evidence this writer dove deep and long to wrench out his truths.
I’m somewhat flabbergasted that this is a “new” writer, and that he spent most of his adult life in business. How is a retired businessman able to inhabit the minds of characters like a 16-year-old ranch tomboy, or a redneck prostitute or her pimp, or a survivor of a Nazi death camp? Somehow Roberts was able to convincingly achieve these feats.
If “Jim Roberts” doesn’t become a household name, there’s no justice in this universe. (There’s no justice anyway…but you get the picture.) Kudos to Belle Point Press for providing a platform to a major literary talent. I hope the stars, too, are watching and recording.
July 7, 2024
The nine short stories in Jim Roberts’ Of Fathers and Gods reminds us that family relationships can be both enriching and destabilizing and always influential. Each story has its own time and place, but the characters are so clearly described that each has uniqueness that is reflected in those we know. Farmer, Carl Flanagan, is “like a lone pine tree.” Writer, Preston Grant, feels that dealing with older writers in his workshop is “like Father Damien wading through lepers, without his (Father Damien’s) grace and purity of soul.” There are plot twists: in Sex, Lies, and Molokai and in Tender, Like My Heart. And times when life’s hardships cause spiritual questions.
Although I don’t usually read short stories, I thoroughly enjoyed these “tales” and would encourage readers to find a copy.
Although I don’t usually read short stories, I thoroughly enjoyed these “tales” and would encourage readers to find a copy.
September 2, 2024
Jim Roberts’ Of Fathers & Gods changed my mind about short story collections. I’d never read them much, preferring novels or book-length nonfiction. But this collection captured me from the first story, “While Her Guitar Gently Weeps.” The narrative moves in one page from profound, overflowing joy, to devastation introduced by that haunting line: “No one expects to die at Kroger.”
Each story has a depth of emotion conveyed through characters struggling to live with guilt, abandonment, loss, secrets, regret. Even the brief three pages of “Pocketknife” convey volumes about a father’s deep sadness and his son’s inability to face it. In “Jack-Shit Bastards,” twins survive a horrific childhood to confront the unrepentant father who abandoned them. In “The Kazminskis,” a father risks everything in a doomed attempt to rescue the child he believes is his. Unsentimental yet heart-rending, and too authentic to dismiss, all of these stories will stay with you. Highly recommended; buy this book—it’s a keeper.
Each story has a depth of emotion conveyed through characters struggling to live with guilt, abandonment, loss, secrets, regret. Even the brief three pages of “Pocketknife” convey volumes about a father’s deep sadness and his son’s inability to face it. In “Jack-Shit Bastards,” twins survive a horrific childhood to confront the unrepentant father who abandoned them. In “The Kazminskis,” a father risks everything in a doomed attempt to rescue the child he believes is his. Unsentimental yet heart-rending, and too authentic to dismiss, all of these stories will stay with you. Highly recommended; buy this book—it’s a keeper.
August 24, 2024
This is one of the best debut collections of short stories I have read, and one of the best collections overall--easily ranks with Ron Rash, George Saunders, and Kjell Askildsen. It's my favorite form and Jim Roberts really delivers with this collection. "Of Fathers & Gods" contains nine gritty stories ranging from a three pages to twenty (or so). These aren't uplifting stories, but they are wonderfully told with enduring characters and a pace that increases with intensity from the start. I really love this collection--it's difficult to pick a favorite; "Late Fiction" is a brilliant closer. Those who love their short fiction close-ended, will not be disappointed. These are taut, moving, and rewarding stories from a debut writer who deserves to be widely read.
April 15, 2024
Robert's characters illicit emotions from the reader that are as complex and, at times, as difficult to process as the characters themselves. Whether by design or by happenstance, these complexities paint each of the stories own worlds in a swath of grays.
Much like Mark Wallings "I Can Hear Everything from Here", this grounds each story and its characters in a sense of reality that is oftentimes lacking in short stories and flash fiction.
I can honestly say that I will be wrestling with the emotions and feelings that some of these stories drug out of me for a very long time.
Much like Mark Wallings "I Can Hear Everything from Here", this grounds each story and its characters in a sense of reality that is oftentimes lacking in short stories and flash fiction.
I can honestly say that I will be wrestling with the emotions and feelings that some of these stories drug out of me for a very long time.
July 22, 2024
Of Fathers & Gods is a collection of expertly structured stories in exquisitely crafted prose. It is inventive in the way debut collections often are, yet it is also tight in the way one would expect from a veteran writer. The stories are frequently surprising and moving. As the title indicates, absent fathers absently abound throughout, and the stories often engage with faith in a complex, nuanced, and powerful way. I’m looking forward to reading more of Roberts’ work in the future.
August 2, 2024
Great collection from small Belle Point Press. Favorites were Bonfire & Late Fiction. All were great, really, really fast reads, which is amazing considering the amount of heart put into each one. This was my second read through but first where I remembered to put in my review. The first story may be the one I struggled with the most, but it's still a damn fine read. Everyone should do themselves a favor and grab a copy.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews