I was sent this book by the publisher (Homeport Press) for an honest review. A Book Of Revelations is a group of short stories by award winning author AC Burch, and the stories are all set around the areas that the author knows well: Provincetown and South Beach.
The stories in this collection all focus on characters who are on the fringes of life. Each story is different in tone and scope, but all of them focus on characters who are on the outside looking in and have to choose whether to remain as they are or break out. The tales also all have a LGBT slant, which add a layer of meaning and poignancy.
I really enjoyed these stories. Each one had it’s own flavour and felt different and unique, but the author also often manages to add a little humour, a sparkle of wit or a dash of dark comedy. There are ordinary people trying to fit with their neighbours, people with dark secrets to their success, people hiding their sexuality, complicated relationships. I really enjoyed the little twists in these tales, and I loved that romance fell in alongside crime stories, fantasy amongst the mundane.
Perhaps one or two of these stories are a little uneven, but I think that that’s usual with books of this type. But in all, I really got drawn in by the authors humour and warmth, literary style and descriptions of other people’s lives. I feel like this book gently explored social milieus of different kinds, and managed to create memorable characters and situations really beautifully in a short format.
This book also has some really delightful illustrations at the start of each chapter, which was a design feature that I highly applaud.
CravenWild 