Author: Heidi Naylor
Title: Revolver: Stories
BCC Press, March 2018.
Genre: Short stories
Reviewed by Michael Austin, Oct. 14, 2018.
These are mature stories by an author at the height of her craft. And she is an author who loves and profoundly understands the short story form. She also understands people and what motivates them–love, hope, guilt, regret, and duty. All of these make an appearance. And Naylor understands how stories can heal.
It’s hard to pick favorites, but I really loved the Mormon-themed stories “The Home Teacher,” in which a dedicated ward member tries to connect with poorer, and entitled co-religionists; and “Jane’s Journey,” an act of genealogical discovery that highlights the voice of a strong women who converted to the Church while in England and immigrated to the United States. The title story, “Revolver,” is also remarkable–a story that brings memory and guilt together with a dash of Nazis.
Each story is a tiny little revelation. And together, they are a major achievement.
(Michael Austin is an editor at BCC Press.)