VAMOOSE by Kathy Anderson: A Review
I've just finished reading Kathy Anderson’s short story collection, VAMOOSE and I wish I could give it all the stars in the sky. There’s something unexpectedly intimate about these stories, which carry the weight of memory. Yet, it is an intimacy that lacks the uncomfortable air of a confessional; instead, they are relatable, making you sigh with the knowledge that you have been seen , that you have been immortalized within these pages. And that is the allure of Anderson’s writing. The superb stories in this collection range from the introspective to the hilarious. These are stories of controlled chaos, leaving the reader to wonder who is in fact controlling the chaos, while also making it clear that Anderson is a master in control of the short story. The comedy is subtle and never ending: a pair of sisters named Tuesday and Wednesday; an aged stilt walker clip clopping down Broad Street; one woman musing about the horrible fad of women waxing off their pubic hair. These...