Flings: Stories Hardcover – August 19, 2014

This is a well written collection of stories. I particularly enjoyed the changes in both setting and and point of view from story to story, including the difficult second person. The flat fatalism of the characters is sad because it truly reflects this generatio, but the honesty of it is what keeps the book from being a depressing collection of gloom and doom, pity me stories. There are glimpses of the strength in these folks and just maybe a buried, but still burning, ember of hopes, dreams, ambitions.

I couldn't finish it.

I usually love books of short stories because most provide a glimpse into a different way of life, a new view or perspective on a life issue, or a surprise twist or unforeseen ending that leaves me thrilled and entertained or learning something new. I wish I could say all of the above for this book of twelve short stories but if I did, it would not be true. For unknown reasons, the author focuses on people who have not discovered their true self , neither do they possess a solid foundation of beliefs and values upon which they can rely to build satisfying lives. The dissatisfaction in content of these stories could be due to a generational gap, perhaps because most of the stories are about generation Xers or millennials who seem to have lost their direction in life. They make decision mostly on emotion or haphazardly based on uncertain relationships or hoped for results which have little basis for actuality. I found the author's writing style like the staccato rhythm of a hammer driving a nail into wood at an uneven pace. The value system of some of the characters is shallow and usually lacking a solid foundation. Most of the characters seem to be floundering through life, without a core set life principles upon which they rely There was sense of constant pounding of information, some of it rather interesting but the plot usually developed in a or direction that was not satisfying. There were few real surprises or unforeseen events which made it difficult to read some of stories to the end. Of course, as a reader, you plod through all the intensity and detail, hoping something will turn out for the better in the lives of the characters but in most of the stories it usually does not.To the author's credit, there is a lot of interesting detail to many of the stories, the stories have some direction, although the characters do not always reach their intended destination. The characters are highly unique but we learn of their individuality by the odd decisions they make and the twisted maze into which their lives seem to fall. Sometimes the path they take on the maze of life seems to be without much effort on their part, they are thrown into events via association with friends from the past, and problems just seem to happen. The individuals do not accept the responsibility they had in making decisions nor do they realize that it is their lack of confronting issues which blow their lives fully off course into unexpected places.A brief introduction and synopsis without spoilers follows of the two stories I enjoyed. "Sungold" I found amusing because it started with the manager of a restaurant in South Florida wearing a mushroom suit outfit which is lent out to different franchises of the restaurant chain. The manager and the owner are good friends who trust each other and that is where the problems begin. The story and plot are very well developed. There is a fun plot, interesting characters whose interactions could take off in either of several directions. Most of the waitresses hired to work at the restaurant are predictably cute and near "look a likes" what the manager refers to as "Mellissa/Jessicas". The author describes the owner Ethan as follows: "Ethan is a self-sabotaging trust fund maniac whose folks set him up with this franchise for his thirtieth birthday, mostly , I think so he would have somewhere other than the grounds of the family estate - a former plantation, it could have gone without saying - to play 'In Memory of Elizabeth Reed' at blowout volume a dozen times a day. As long as he keeps his annual losses in the mid five figures they'll keep him in business. ..." It is after the manager interviews and hires " Appolinaira Pavlovna Sungold", known as s "Polina", who is quite a bit different than the usual Melissas/Jessicas, that things get very interesting at the restaurant. They introduce new recipes on the menu and create a sensational trendy and popular restaurant with unexpected fringe benefits. This is one story which leaves the reader *wanting* to read more to see how the author resolves the unexpected twists and turns. The second outstanding story is called, "Carole Alone." It focuses on a retired couple who live in a beautiful new development in South Florida when unexpectedly her husband Gerald dies. Luckily, Carol's son Dennis moved down with his family and live twenty minutes away. Although Carol has friends her own age, she feels adrift in life and engages in a potentially serious habit that could be fatal. One must read the story to learn what this maybe. I was captivated and truly enjoyed only these two stories out of the twelve. I felt luke warm to neutral toward eight stories and disliked two stories entirely. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

As the title of this collection (also the title of the first story) implies, the main theme running through Justin Taylor's Flings is that of relationships, both sexual and emotional. Friendships, marriages, crushes, and blood relations all come into play in short stories that (for the most part - there are some exceptions) focus on seemingly mundane or commonplace lives and situations, but in doing so clearly demonstrates through characterization and nuance how these events both contribute to and are influenced by the relationships the people create, preserve, abandon, or ignore. Family plays just as important a role as romance does in this collection, as many of the stories deal with the relationships between generations, with divorce and heritage coming into play repeatedly.Some of Taylor's stories are told in a sweeping, biographical narrative that travels through years - even decades - of history, while others walk us almost minute-by-minute through snapshots of daily lives tormented by loss or, even worse, the distance that sometimes divides those close to one another. Alienation and abandonment, obsession and disenchantment, communication and reflection; Taylor's Flings shuffles us through the myriad of forms that relationships can take, and exposes us to a behind-the-scenes showcase of how our connections to others can either wither or bloom.If there is a flaw in this collection, it is the inclusion of the story Sungold. With the exception of Sungold, a brilliantly funny piece that is my personal favorite, the stories in Flings are either subdued or dramatic, and the humor (if any) is at best understated. Stumbling into Sungold four stories into the collection leads one to expect at least one or two other pieces of similar tone and lends to a slight feeling of disappointment upon completion. A great story, but ultimately a rather glaring Odd Man Out.

Flings by Justin Taylor is a collection of short stories revolving around realistic and flawed characters. The common thread connecting these short stories is romantic relationships and just life really, mainly young adult life. Expressed in these stories are the feelings, the emotions and the inner turmoil, especially at this time in life.These characters are all at a crossroads in their lives in some form or other. One story that stood out for me was called A Talking Cure, where a couple plays a game revealing past sex secrets and in speaking these truths they begin to create a wedge between themselves. Are some things best left unsaid? And just when you think you are harboring a secret from a person, it might not be a secret after all.Another story was Adon Olam where a boy is childhood friends with a set of twins, and one twin dies of cancer. The story goes into young adulthood where the main character brings up the past and struggles with placing the blame on the surviving twin. While at a summer job at camp he finds unlikely romance.I found the stories in this set to be unexpected and surprising even. I enjoyed this one, it was different than what I tend to pick up. I found this collection to be interesting and well written.disclaimer:This review is my honest opinion, I received no compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I received my free copy of Flings via TLC Book Tours in exchange for my honest opinion.