Review: Treading the Uneven Road by Lorna Brown is a collection of short stories about changes coming to a small Irish town, and it’s residents.
Treading the Uneven Road by Lorna Brown
Genres: Short stories, Single author short stories, Literary fiction
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Synopsis from Amazon
The stories in this collection are set 1980’s and 90’s Ireland. A by-pass around a small village has rid the residents of their once busy traffic. They feel forgotten by the world. The need to reach out and be heard is explored in every story, from the young woman who starts to have phone conversations with her husband’s gay lover, to the dyslexic man who confronts his cruel teacher years later and the woman whose dreams are shattered because of a married lover. Treading the Uneven Road introduces us to a society that is unraveling, and we cannot help feel for Brown’s characters who need to make a choice on how to carry on.
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Review: Treading the Uneven Road by Lorna Brown
Treading the Uneven Road E-Book Details:
- File Size: 4888 KB
- Print Length: 179 pages
- Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
- Publisher: Fomite (March 14, 2019)
- Publication Date: March 14, 2019
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
- Language: English
- ASIN: B07PNRTMY5
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
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X-Ray: Not Enabled
- Word Wise: Enabled
- Lending: Enabled
- Screen Reader: Supported
- Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Treading the Uneven Road: S...Shop on Amazon
Treading the Uneven Road Paperback Details:
- Paperback: 208 pages
- Publisher: Fomite (March 13, 2019)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 194438880X
- ISBN-13: 978-1944388805
- Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
Treading the Uneven Road: S...Shop on Amazon
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My Review: Treading the Uneven Road by Lorna Brown
Treading the Uneven Road is a connected collection of stories about residents of a once-thriving small town that has been hit hard by a highway bypass. The stories portray the pallor that overshadows the town. Each chapter focuses on a story from one character’s point of view. Sometimes the connection is apparent quickly, but often you have to read a bit before the plot ties together.
Treading the Uneven Road is a fascinating study of human nature through fiction. Hopelessness is a recurring theme in several characters lives. And yet, many are saved despite their best efforts to destroy themselves. The passing of time in the blink of an eye teaches us that every moment should be treasured. There are dark moments throughout this book, but they are not so overwhelming as to cause you to stop reading. Perhaps you will pause to reflect, but never to stop reading.
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Comments are greatly appreciated. Please scroll to the bottom to find the comment section!
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An interview with Lorna Brown, author of Treading the Uneven Road
How long have you been writing?
Sixteen years, can’t believe it’s been that long. I said to my husband, ‘how about I take a year off work to write a bestseller’. He said sure. Little did we know how much I had to learn. I treated it as a job, writing all day, and had the first book written within months. It was terrible.
What inspired you to write in this genre?
I started with fantasy and thought I’d never be able to write a contemporary novel. But eventually, I began to write literary fiction. I don’t think this change was planned. It was the stories and characters that made me write differently. My reading preferences changed then too, from fantasy and mystery, to literary fiction and I’m not sure which came first- reading it or writing it. I think the latter.
Do you have a set writing schedule?
Yes, if the girls are at school and I am not teaching, I write in the morning for three hours and then again in the afternoon. I get up at 6 am if there are holidays and love those quiet hours.
Do you need silence to write, or can you work in any environment?
I can work in any environment, girls running around the place, but I prefer quiet.
If you could set up your perfect writing scenario, what would it involve?
I have it with my study and the large windows and the quiet during the day. A view of the beach would be the only thing needed to make it perfect, though I do have trees.
Were you an avid reader growing up?
There weren’t so many books around for YA at that time, at least not in our house, but I would read anything from cornflakes packets to comics, to our neighbors’ Mills and Boons. I suppose the answer is yes.
If you could form the ultimate writers’ group, which authors past or present would you invite to join you?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortazar, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood. Colm Toibin, Cormac McCarthy- imagine the ideas coming from that group.
Do you snack while writing and if so, what is your favorite snack?
Almonds
Who has influenced your writing the most?
That is such a hard question. Every book I read influences me somehow. I am re-reading Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Road’ in the hope that it will impact the book I am writing now-just to write a few sentences like him.
In saying that, I remember reading Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood and being amazed at how she turned a certain character on its head. When I read that, I realized that authors have the gift of illusion. The South American writers, especially the ones listed above, were also an influence for the use of magical realism. Otessa Moshfegh’s ‘Eileen’ for the small world contained in the book.
I won’t start a project without researching and reading books that are in the same vein and have merit. Before I started ‘Our Wandering’ I read a lot of books with unreliable narrator, ‘The Killer Within Me, Fight Club, Never Let Me Go, were a few. As a writer, you are constantly learning and therefore, constantly influenced in some way or another.
Must you wear shoes to write?
I just took my shoes off to see if I did, and no definitely not. I love getting up early during the weekend and writing for hours in my pajama’s.
Is there anything you would like my readers to know about you and your book?
I am very excited to say that some stories in my forthcoming collection Were We Awake will be re-visiting the village in Ireland. You will meet again characters from Treading The Uneven Road
L.M. Brown’s contact info:
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Treading the Uneven Road is also available on Barnes & Noble–Click HERE!
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More reviews by Gina
- The Double D Ranch by Rochelle Bradley
- Nutsi Wants to Catch the Moon by Emma Paidge
- Dancing With a Demon by Valerie Foster
- Dreams, Inc. by T.E. Mark
- Never Stop Running by Dr. Melissa Caudle
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[…] Treading the Uneven Road by L.M. Brown […]
Sounds great!
Thanks for posting this review. For me, with sleeping issues, a short-story collection is ideal for late night reading. I don’t usually have to keep track of characters’ histories or a complicated plot. I plan to order this book.
Thanks. It’s a unique book. I can’t wait to read the next collection that revisits some of these characters.