What Now? A Collection of Short Stories by Joyce V. Harrison
This review first appeared on Reader Views. Read the Reader Views version here.
Life can change in an instant and we don’t always know what action or event will do it. What Now? A Collection of Short Stories by Joyce V Harrison is a slim volume of eight tales that tackle this idea.
What Now? kicks off with Ella Mae finding a large sum of money thanks to her curious Yorkie. Ella Mae struggles with what to do with it and, after she makes her final decision, Harrison delivers a twist. In the next story, Caroline has uncovered a plot from a nasty coworker to get her fired, but how will she handle (or perhaps thwart) this? “The Haircut” is next and features Jasper getting a bold new look. This seemingly small change leads to a domino effect in Jasper’s life. Next is Lori’s story. Lori hides an addiction, but when her husband announces he’s leaving, how will she react? “Moon in Scorpio” is the darkest of the stories and a warning that it contains sexual assault is warranted. Overall, though, “Moon In Scorpio” is the story of Tara and her abusive relationships, but in the end, perhaps she will find a reprieve. Next is Logan’s story with “the devil winds”. If that’s not enough to intrigue you, perhaps I’ll also mention that a ghost appears. In the next story, “On The Verge,” Luke must wrestle with his own deceptions. In the final tale, Marshall gets devastating medical news and decides how to best care for his beloved motorcycle.
Life can change in an instant and we don’t always know what action or event will do it. What Now? A Collection of Short Stories by Joyce V Harrison is a slim volume of eight tales that tackle this idea.
What Now? kicks off with Ella Mae finding a large sum of money thanks to her curious Yorkie. Ella Mae struggles with what to do with it and after she makes her final decision, Harrison delivers a twist. In the next story, Caroline has uncovered a plot from a nasty coworker to get her fired, but how will she handle (or perhaps thwart) this? “The Haircut” is next and features Jasper getting a bold new look. This seemingly small change leads to a domino effect in Jasper’s life. Next is Lori’s story. Lori hides an addiction, but when her husband announces he’s leaving, how will she react? “Moon in Scorpio” is the darkest of the stories, and a warning that it contains sexual assault is warranted. Overall, though, “Moon In Scorpio” is the story of Tara and her abusive relationships, but in the end, perhaps she will find a reprieve. Next is Logan’s story with “the devil winds”. If that’s not enough to intrigue you, perhaps I’ll also mention that a ghost appears. In the next story, “On The Verge,” Luke must wrestle with his own deceptions. In the final tale, Marshall gets devastating medical news and decides how to best care for his beloved motorcycle.
What Now? has an intriguing premise. Connecting stories by the idea of changes from small (a haircut) to large (a dark side of a partner being revealed) causing a ripple effect in life is promising. Harrison delivers on this premise, and crafts a variety of stories about these ripples. With clear prose that conveys situation and emotion, she will have readers carefully considering how small moments have changed their lives and/or how they’d react in the situations Harrison’s characters find themselves in.
It’s not easy to capture the overall experience of What Now?, given the range of stories within the collection. However, throughout Harrison creates characters at the precipice of great change and that is a prominent element for stories to have. While some stories are quite dark, especially “Moon In Scorpio,” all stories in What Now? are thought-provoking, making this collection an especially interesting read. has an intriguing premise. Connecting stories by the idea of changes from small (a haircut) to large (a dark side of a partner being revealed) causing a ripple effect in life is promising. Harrison delivers on this premise, and crafts a variety of stories about these ripples. With clear prose that conveys situation and emotion, she will have readers carefully considering how small moments have changed their lives and/or how they’d react in the situations Harrison’s characters find themselves in.
It’s not easy to capture the overall experience of What Now?, given the range of stories within the collection. However, throughout Harrison creates characters at the precipice of great change and that is a prominent element for stories to have. While some stories are quite dark, especially “Moon In Scorpio,” all stories in What Now? are thought-provoking, making this collection an especially interesting read.
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