The Chattahoochee Review – Spring/Summer 2011

In N.D. Wilson’s story “Conversations with Tod,” the narrator lives across from an evangelist with twin nymphet daughters who have vowed to remain virgins for life. “God doesn’t ask a lot,” says one of the Lolitas, “just everything.” The narrator leers and Wilson steers the narrative to unexpected places, in unexpected confines. A crow plays a negative part (but have crows ever been positive other than in the two movies named after them?) In N.D. Wilson’s story “Conversations with Tod,” the narrator lives across from an evangelist with twin nymphet daughters who have vowed to remain virgins for life. “God doesn’t ask a lot,” says one of the Lolitas, “just everything.” The narrator leers and Wilson steers the narrative to unexpected places, in unexpected confines. A crow plays a negative part (but have crows ever been positive other than in the two movies named after them?) One of the best stories in the issue is Jack Pendarvis’s “Outsider,” which begins to be about a father waiting at a restaurant for his daughter, but turns into a narrative about the one extended conversation on which he eavesdrops. So many things inform our lives, especially overheard things. Strong characters elevate Pendarvis’s story to a height achieved only by the most contagious and infective fiction. An interview with multi-genre writer George Garrett contains great advice for writers of military fiction. Even better, in the Garrett story that follows, “The Source,” there’s advice for writers of all kind. “‘Why did you become a writer?’ someone asked. Donoso didn’t miss a breath or a beat. ‘Because I was not invited to the party.’” Any more said about this issue of The Chattahoochee Review would only lead to giving away essential ingredients. As Ira Sadoff writes in her poem “After Hours”: “Of course, coarse, corpse.” [www.thechattahoocheereview.gpc.edu]