Title: Texaners: Eight Short Stories
Author: T.F. Rhoden
Publisher: Etoile Solitaire Press
ISBN: 978-0692512746
Pages: 122
Genre: Fiction/Short Stories
Reviewed by: Lisa Brown-Gilbert
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Pacific Book Review
Engaging and insightful, Author TF Rhoden’s incisive collection of short stories, Texaners, leads fiction readers into the world of the multicultural, multiracial denizens of contemporary Texas. No stranger to the literary world, author Rhoden has authored other well-received works, however this is his first published collection of short stories, which bears influences from his personal experiences growing up as a citizen in multiracial, contemporary Texas.Unapologetically stereotypical at times, this collection of eight stories is varied in perspective as the many cultural and ethnic backgrounds of each character are colorfully portrayed by the author. Each story portrays an emotionally intricate variation on life by exploring brief moments in the lives of ordinary Texans. And consequently, it is through the varied lives of author Rhoden’s characters that readers are shown the real Texas of today, the younger, multiethnic face of Texas, not the old dusty, cowboy infested world, but a brave new world where the boundaries set by stereotypes are either diminished or enslaving to the character’s psyche.
Each piece is generally likable, fortified by the use of vivid imagery, curious characters and emotional vagaries that play out fairly well. Every story is a glimpse into ordinary lives that are distinctly portrayed by bringing into perspective a moment of clarity in each protagonist’s life that essentially captures those rare ephinanic moments in a life when personal realization comes to consciousness.
The stories that I found particularly well written and compelling were Chinese Spoons, Oils, The Bat Mitzvah, and West Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. My very favorite of them all is West Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Overall, I enjoyed these stories because of their vivid portrayals, intriguing characterizations, insightfully ironic nature, twists on stereotypes (especially where some characters moved beyond stereotypical expectations) and the decisive moments of realization, made these stories the more exceptional reads out of the whole book. However, my least favorite story was Drywall somehow this story just did not have the same impact of many of the other stories.
Altogether, I found Texaners: Eight Short Stories very enjoyable; author Rhoden is a respectable storyteller who put forth a decent read with his book. He did well in his portrayal of the varied ethnic and cultural hub that today’s Texas has become. Additionally, I enjoyed author Rhoden’s formal, literate writing style, although albeit at times his use of erudite wording did seem over the top. Exception aside, I liked his realistically grounded characters immersed in practical, well depicted settings and do recommend this book to fans of short fiction.
