I enjoy collections like this. ‘10 Stories From Abroad’ is a collection from a group of individuals who travel the world, make money however they can, and dabble in writing to a greater or lesser degree. There are other books out there that are more polished, and more inclined to kowtow to the modern ‘literary community,’ but what you get in ‘10 Stories From Abroad’ is quite bit more raw and therefore significantly closer to truth.
It seems like more and more the only writing available for consumption is a prepackaged, bland and sterilized morsel that comes with a wave of insincere positive reviews. This is because 5 media conglomerations own every publication in the world, and are able to control the narrative upon any book’s release. To make matters worse, I know some very talented writers who keep all their work in a drawer because they somehow think that if they don’t kneel to the corrupt system, their work won’t ever be legitimized. Whatever happened to faith in the idea that if you write something good, it will receive an audience eventually?
I grabbed ‘10 Stories From Abroad’ during a free promotional run, and I was impressed enough with the first story that I read the whole thing. Seven of the ten stories are very short and feel almost like blog posts, which I don’t mean as a criticism any more than if I’d said they were “poems” or “flash fiction.” The stories are as follows:
1. The Paleontologist by Lloyd Hannis of SurgeryInPeru.com
This is a very good story about an excursion into the Peruvian desert to find prehistoric shark’s teeth. There are many little adventures you can have like this in Peru, and half the time they are run by questionable characters that keep you fearing for your life, but who make for a good story afterwards. That’s the case here. This was an engaging story, and I found myself wanting to make some very slight changes in word choice throughout. That’s a left over instinct from my days as an editor, and it means I’ve found something that I intend to publish. I don’t mean changes as in errors but changes as in matters of preference. Hannis is a good writer, I’d read more of his work.
2. The Game by Daniel Baker of DanOfTheWorld.org
This is a short account of watching a soccer match in Vietnam in unsafe conditions. Most expats will be able to identify with this sort of thing.
3. The Crime by Mike Raymond
A story that takes place in Lima, Peru dealing with a theft that occurs in an apartment. This is a ‘warning’ story, and yes this kind of thing is common in Lima (I’ve had people get into my apartment and steal money in Lima as well).
4. The Illness by Ngo Trieu Khanh Ngoc
An account of a person with schizophrenia who finds work, and a sense of purpose, through translation.
5. The Business by Jorn Ludvigsen
Almost a list article, dealing with the food industry in Colombia and how some affluent customers are prone to mistreating waiters/waitresses of humble backgrounds.
6. The Raft by Dave Ward of BCSledHead.com
An account of a jungle hike and some rafting.
7. The City by Cherry Lucar of CherryPie921.wordpress.com
A discussion of food preparation in Lima, Peru with some interesting insights.
8. The Biker by Dan Baker
Motorcycling the Vietnamese countryside.
9. The Meeting by Kumar Priyadarshi of RamansGalaxy.wordpress.com
A more ambitious story about meeting the love of your life.
10. The Border by Bruno Maiorana of MyLastVacation.com
Set in South America, this is a brief meditation on writing set in an expensive hotel in Bolivia that nevertheless doesn’t have electricity.
An interesting collection from an interesting group of people. This book is worth digging into just to meet the authors involved. Check out their blogs, you’re sure to discover something you won’t find anywhere else. Check out an excerpt below:
