Published in: March-April 2023 issue.
SORROW’S DRIVE: A Quartet
by Michael Alenyikov
Spectrum Books. 252 pages, $13.99
Sorrow’s Drive consists of four novella-length stories about, yes, sorrow. Michael Alenyikov’s soft, deft hand wields an ethos as harsh as Greek tragedy. His humor attains surpassing cruelty. He knows how real sin is. Sins of omission concern him. Two of the stories address “ghosting,” that bloodless, cowardly cruelty that keeps its victim wondering and never grants the relationship a clean death.
____________________________________________________
Laura Argiri is the author of Guilty Parties: Tales of Infatuation and Menace (2020).
Discussion1 Comment
I’m surprised that Laura Argiri omits mention of Alenyikov’s gorgeous style, with lines such as “The sea glistened like a turquoise jewel that had melted in the sun.” About drinking champagne: “the fizz that lights my chest as if I’d swallowed a holiday sparkler…” Or “I’m trying to teach you something before it’s too late. Too late comes on you so fast.” This last line is a sentiment that describes many of the experiences in this excellent collection, though Argiri’s conclusions about the novellas don’t quite gibe with mine, especially concerning Grandma Flo, who is painted as full of guilt and as an “over-privileged narcissist” who deserves a scare in one scene. Not my take on the character at all. And Argiri’s line about the ending of “Sorrow’s Drive,” “Genuine startle factor is rare…” left me wondering what was so startling. These four novellas remind of Damon Galgut’s brilliant work in terms of the solitariness of the characters, yet Alenyikov turns more beautiful lines, which brighten every page and add evocative sensuality to his writing.