This Is PUSH (review)
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUP- This Is PUSH
In this anthology, readers will find work (original except for one republished story) from some of their favorite writers who have appeared under the Push imprint, including Markus Zusak, Tanuja Desai Hidier, Chris Wooding, Kevin Brooks, and Patricia McCormick. Dark humor, perplexing relationships, and elusive emotions skitter around in these tiny jewels that reveal the facets of each writer's specific style. Zusak, for instance, writes a lyrical and philosophical piece that explores falling in love as the seductive caress of self-murder. Coe Booth deploys a stunningly authentic urban voice to explore the way a black teen's first taste of freedom behind the wheel leads him to clarify his vexed feelings toward his incarcerated father. In a surreal drama, Billy Merrell's protagonist reconciles himself to a boyfriend who isn't as adept at the trappings of romance as he'd like. Eireann Corrigan reintroduces a minor character from her novel You Remind Me of You, explaining how he was edited into a lie to keep him from detracting from the main plot line and then purporting to tell his real, poignant story. Hidier's baroque writing treats a daughter's pending abortion from her mother's point of view, overwriting memories [End Page 334] and hope with her sense of failure and remorse. Fans of these writers will find here a smorgasbord of the things they like best about their longer works; for the uninitiated, these tasty bites will tempt readers to enjoy a fuller banquet of these innovative authors.
