Title: Against the Current: Little Ripplings and Spummings
Author: W. Royce Adams
Publisher: Authors Press
ISBN: 978-1-64314-850-2
Pages: 121
Genre: Short Stories / Slice of Life
Reviewed by: Manik Chaturmutha
Pacific Book Review
Against the Current: Little Ripplings and Spummings is a collection of short stories written by former English professor W. Royce Adams. Dealing with the stories of men from different walks of life, Adams highlights the instances in a person’s life, often the ones that are overlooked. In the author’s words, it is a collection of short stories he wrote over the years.
The stories are narrated in both first and third person and often revolve around minor plots that become significant moments in a person’s life. Something interesting caught my attention was the range of emotions exhibited by the protagonists – some expressed guilt over an instance, others yearned for something more significant, and many were nostalgic accounts of youthful moments and loved ones. In the grand scheme of things, we often forget what makes us who we are, and through these small anecdotes, Adams reminds us that insignificant moments are also significant.
The writing style of the author is fantastic. Stories evoke a sense of nostalgia and an odd type of longing. Emotions, especially the complex, hard-to-pinpoint ones, are beautifully expressed by the author. For instance, “So why am I haunted by this particular event, this moment frozen in time, refusing to thaw and melt into the vast lake of many other memories and be thankful it turned out as it did?” (The Oblong Blur, Page 47)
I also appreciate that each story has no conclusive ending, an element I feel reasonably necessary to emphasize how ambiguous life is. However, the novel adopts a perspective that can be identified as primarily masculine, potentially causing certain situations to feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable to female readers. I understand it is an anthology written by a man. When understood in that context, it sheds light onto the seemingly unimportant aspects of a man’s life, which is essential. The plot could be more consistent.
Overall, I enjoyed the deep emotions and the subtle uneasiness felt while reading. The stories “Bouillabaisse” and “The Oblong Blur” were particularly memorable. “Against the Current” is a good read for someone looking for stories to make them contemplate their lives or for a quick and random read on a long and tiresome day. Readers who prefer short stories or slice-of-life novels might particularly enjoy this novel.
