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Reviewed by C.R. Hurst for Readers' Favorite
Rory’s Not That Guy And Other Tales from Middle America by William E Burleson features what the author calls semi-autobiographical stories that capture middle America and middle Americans. This award-winning collection provides humorous stories from a decidedly male perspective. Yes, potty jokes and salacious comedy are abundant. But the tales offer more than a quick laugh; they delve into the troubled lives of fathers, sons, and husbands who find the American Dream elusive, though they soldier on. This combination of light and dark humor makes for an entertaining and often thoughtful look at the realities of living in the U.S.
One of my favorite stories in the nineteen of the collection is No Returns. In it, a time traveler from the future returns to the twentieth century and finds himself at a high school party where he learns that the past can be as difficult to maneuver as the future. In another story titled The War Cannot Find Me, a WWI balloonist must face his inevitable death after his balloon is damaged by enemy fire, or does he? And my favorite of all is Eyewitness, in which a young black man must deal with a racist drunk aboard a crosstown bus, yet finds some unexpected support from fellow passengers, leading to an even more unexpected ending. All the stories have the tight structure and pacing required by the short story genre and deliver powerful endings. All told, Rory’s Not That Guy And Other Tales from Middle America by William E Burleson is a short story collection well worth reading.
