Gary Inbinder evaluates...

Luke Boyd’s “Apparitions”

“Apparitions” is superb writing in the noir style that synthesizes the surreal with gritty realism. The structure follows a noir tradition, i.e. it begins near the climax and then is told in flashback, returning to the climactic event in the ending.

The shift from “I” to “you” in the narrative is clever, because it distances the narrator from his memories. We get a suicide note in the form of a tape recording with memories that may be, for the most part, drug- and alcohol-induced hallucinations.

In my opinion, “Apparitions” is one of the best works we’ve published this quarter.

Copyright © 2007 by Gary Inbinder