Author: Heidi Naylor
Title: Revolver
Publisher: BCC Press
Publication date: 2018
Genre: Short stories
(Reviewed by Conor Hilton)
Naylor’s stories are rich in language–filled with beautiful passages and descriptions and turns of phrase that feel literary. The characters are painted with the precise amount of strokes to feel real, but with enough smudging and sketching that you’re intrigued and drawn in to what’s taking place. These stories aren’t necessarily my usual cup of tea, but they are remarkably well-crafted and insightful. The deal with some of the darker parts of human experience, but in a beautiful way–I was reminded of Alice Munro as I was reading. The stories work beautifully together and are all excellent, though I was particularly struck by “Name”, “The Mandelbrot Set”, and the titular “Revolver”.