Amber D. Tran

A curious read that deals with some very heavy topics, so I certainly agree with some other reviews I read... I went in with my eyes closed. That being said...

It's hard to truly rate a story like this that deals in death, darkness, depression, delusion, drugs, and other activities that are meant to cause self harm yet ripple effect to so many more. The lives shown here could have been anyone, anywhere, even those you know having similar outcomes or perhaps intervention at just the right moment... so simply saying "I loved" or "I loathed" doesn't seen to cut it. I appreciated the way the author broached the issues the characters were dealing with in their teen years, how she addressed the changes occurring and yet the brick wall that couldn't seemed to be broken through to reach them. She gave those who've lost their voice a chance to find it once again and see that there is another way. I struggled with the disturbing sexual aspects introduced with characters so very young... pedophiles, odd "join our group" initiations, and experimenting...it just seemed like one too many elements for one story, let alone this group.

In the end, it was a page turner with no true happy endings in sight, but it does splash a cold dose of reality in the face of those that perhaps find it hard to imagine these things in life. Yes, it's fiction, but it could just as easily not be.


**copy received for review… (meer)

3 1/2 stars

Amber D. Tran's "Words from West Virginia" is an interesting dark blend of poetry and short stories.

For the most part, the poetry comes across as more fully realized than the short stories, most of which feel as though they could be bulked up a bit to become more layered and nuanced.

One of my favorites, although quite disturbing, is "Harpy Lady" about a young woman, Merle, who is obsessed with birds and the man, Eric, she's set up with who inadvertently directs her future action. While the story is quite good, it could have been more powerful if the reader could have come to care about Merle in more than a superficial way. As it stands, this feels like an allegory.

And, perhaps this is my issue with most of the short stories here. They are promising and mostly effective, but they needed to be dug into deeper so that the reader cares about the outcome of the characters; without that, it seems as if the intention is merely to shock.

Lastly, I would have loved to see the author use the voice she uses in her poetry in her short stories to pull some of that musicality into her prose.

I received an ARC from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)

I picked up this book one night while waiting for an excel document to load and I never put it down until I was finished. And when I was finished I was too moved to go back to the excel document.

Mountain Fever is a collection of poetry and short stories based in Appalachia. It is not an easy read. And by that I mean the prose is very easy to read but the subjects discussed often aren't easy.

I live in Appalachia myself, though not deep into the hollers like some folks do. I had heard stories of much of what was contained in Mountain Fever, but I myself have not lived it.

Moving ideas, powerful images and a vivid explanation of a lifestyle many lead but few see into.

Definitely worth the read, but be careful. It isn't easy.… (meer)