The Weight of a Feather: and Other Stories

by Judy Croome

★★★★★

I’ve been a sucker for short stories ever since I discovered Edgar Allen Poe as a young teenager, so when Judy Croome offered to share a collection of her stories, I couldn’t resist. It isn’t really an appropriate choice for my blog, but it was an enjoyable break, definitely worth sharing in a casual review.

Leslie (my blog partner) asked me as I was reading what the book was about. I said it was about life, and that seemed to satisfy her. But the question remained with me: What is your book about, Judy? My mind wandered back to another book I reviewed of Croome’s, a haunting spiritual journey titled Dancing in the Shadows of Love. It, too, was about life, and I found myself captivated by Croome’s short story collection in the same way.

Croome is a very good writer. Her stories are imaginative and engaging, they play heavily on the element of surprise, but more than that, they leave you full of feelings. Icky feelings, happy feelings, sad feelings, nervous feelings. Her characters–all of them–are simultaneously common and peculiar, a little like peeking into the closet of your smiling next door neighbor. A little like if you were to peek into your own heart. It’s scary stuff.

Some stories appear to have been published before, and some appear to be originals, but they’re all great reads. Highly recommended!

Aztar Press, © 2013, 193 pages

ISBN: 978-0-987047-3-0

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