Title:  Henri:  Seventeen Short Stories
Author: Douglas Bosack
Publisher:  Stonewall Press
ISBN: 9781635246193
Pages: 296
Genre: Short Stories
Reviewed by: Christa Hill

Douglas Bosack builds richly imaged worlds and tangible imagery of places that I have never been in his collection titled Henri:  Seventeen Short Stories. In the story ‘A Victim of Circumstance’ he pulled me into the landscape where Frank is with his descriptions of the ocean water, birds, and boats. The story is literally named and was engaging from start to finish.

These stories have well-crafted characters that speak to each person’s inner dreamer, hero, cowboy, and child. I would describe Bosack’s stories as spunky and heartfelt. As a reader I connected with the author’s sense of humor and ability to see beyond the surface, conveying a range of details through his descriptions. Though the stories had rich imagery, many of them told very sad stories. The characters are believable and well developed, being both credible and sensitive.

The popular culture references were well placed and particularly well chosen. Each story is a rollercoaster in and of itself; it would be nice to see some of these stories built into novels as they contain enough fodder for a fuller read. The writing was clear and grammatically correct. I enjoyed how the author changes person from story to story. While I am not a huge fan of reading first person I do think that it served the purpose of building suspense and forcing us to engage with the actions taking place in the world of the story. The story “Ciao” has the feel of a play translated into a short story.

On the whole I would praise Douglas Bosack’s work as a well-written book of short stories which are at times somewhat depressing, they do have characters in each story that we can relate to. In the future I would be interested in seeing Bosack write in different genres, because he is very skilled at developing characters and creating a vivid world for all to enjoy.