Look at tomorrow, not yesterday

Months and Seasons
Christopher Meeks

Who hasn't effed up royally? Cut off your nose to spite your face? Who hasn't done the one dumb thing you told yourself not to do? If these scenarios do not apply to you, then, well...piss off. But certainly you're familiar with disappointment, fear, loss?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, Months and Seasons is worth a read. The characters who populate these stories are all quite diverse, and yet they all share one important trait: whether they know it or not, they all face a crossroads in their lives.

Many of these characters can only blame themselves for the problems currently facing them, but all of them -- even those at the mercy of fate -- can control how they react to their problems. And while the problems facing these characters are as diverse as their personalities, they all, generally speaking, respond similarly: that is, they go on. (That's not to say that they "go on" in the best possible way, but such is life. These characters, just like people, do not always make the best decisions.)

There’s Tutti, a seventeen-year-old teen whose divorcing parents have shipped her off to summer camp, despite her age. Then there’s Hugh, whose wife wants a child – even though he's less than ready. In another, a talented playwright loses his home to fire, and still another sees several characters facing potentially fatal illnesses.

Just as the problems facing Meeks' characters vary from story to story, so too does his writing style -- something that highlights Meeks' talents as a writer. I particularly enjoyed that the narrative voice truly changed to reflect the change in point of view and narrative voice, and upon beginning a new story, I believed I had encountered a different storyteller than the one who came before. Equally important is the fact that these stories vary in tone; some are serious, while others are more humorous. My favorite narrator was Frank Philo, the troubled narrator of “The Holes in my Door,” a deft little tale that allows the reader greater insight than is bestowed upon the narrator.

With the exception of the eminent playwright, Months and Seasons does not recount the lives of famous or otherwise "grand" individuals -- these are everyday people, caught up in the months and seasons of their lives. These are flawed characters, and not all of them are likable, but readers can learn a little something from each of them.

In a nutshell: Deftly written, not a word in Months and Seasons is wasted; these stories recount tiny moments of glory in even the most ordinary of lives.

Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars