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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
Carry on Smartly by Wayne Westphal Barrow is a collection of six original short stories, where the characters experience moments that require immediate decisions, which define what follows. In The Kind-Hearted Stranger, a teenage real estate agent receives unexpected news and turns to Mr. Kippens, whose involvement guides her toward a conversation that changes how her situation is handled. In The Secrets of the Georgetown Seawall, Paul lives apart from Selena and spends his nights along the seawall until a single incident places him in a position where he must face what his actions mean. In The Millennial Images, Lesley Bjorkman pursues a method of observing the past and reaches a point where his work puts him in contact with events that have consequences.
Wayne Westphal Barrow's Carry on Smartly: The Seawall Remembers is a brilliant anthology written in an intelligent and entertaining style, where each piece centers on a defined situation and develops it through dialogue and details that keep attention fixed on people. While it is impossible to pick a favorite, there were two that stood out in how Barrow builds encounters into a sustained examination of belief and devotion. Where Were You Seated? follows Ahab in a gathering and treats witnessing as an active choice, using progression to heighten attention. The Runaway Wife studies Harry at a roadside vigil, presenting time as accumulation and showing how a fixed position can define a life. Readers who love smart short fiction with unique arcs and who value character-driven pieces will absolutely adore this. Very highly recommended.
