Available in the Following Formats
- E-book ASIN: B08NHPPH48
- Paperback ISBN: 979-8-6883-6572-6
View an Excerpt
Mementos - A Unique Collection of Short Stories & Flash Fiction - Book 2
People ask: "Why do you use photographic prompts when you write short stories and flash fiction?" Larry Sultan, an American photographer
from the San Fernando Valley in California, provides one answer: "Photography is there to construct the idea of us as a great family and
we go on vacations and take these pictures and then we look at them later and we say, 'Isn't this a great family?' So photography is
instrumental in creating family not only as a memento, a souvenir, but also a kind of mythology." Beyond the physical, however, lie our
memories and in them, the pictures stored in our minds' eyes. As writers, aren't these memories - both the physical and the "mementos of
the mind" - the essence of our works, the prompts we use to spin words and phrases into literary tapestries our readers can use to discover
something about life, a bit about us, perhaps, and, in the process, maybe even a little about themselves?
In this volume, you'll find a story about a nun in Philadelphia who raises money for St. Vincent's Orphanage in a most unusual matter. In another story, we watch as two grown men are determined to find and visit a revered high school math teacher, only to learn one of life's saddest lessons: you can't go home again. And what are we to make of the story "Lost in the Library"? Which is to ask, what happened to the two young women who broke into the college library located several miles east of Holcomb, Kansas, while on a scavenger hunt sponsored by a sorority? In short (pun intended), there is something in this book for almost every genre and taste.
Featured Review
"Mementos: A Unique Collection of Short Stories & Flash Fiction by Theodore Jerome Cohen is the second book in the author's Mementos Anthology Series, preceded by book one of the same name. Comprised of an ambitious forty-three pieces of Cohen's work, each story reads independently and at a pace that permits bite-sized moments in the lives of his characters while still serving up the same double portion of entertainment in this second helping. The stories range in both size and subject, from the flash fiction piece "Curves," wherein two Vietnam vets fondly recall the bravery of a mutual heroic acquaintance and the irony of him surviving a war only to meet his maker in a decidedly avoidable way, to the slightly lengthier short story "Machines," which follows a young woman with dreams beyond her country upbringing, moving from success to success until she reaches the pinnacle of Manhattan heights-both literally and figuratively-only to discover that the familial ties that bind are more important than anything else.
The first thing that intrigued me about the latest Theodore Jerome Cohen collection of stories in Mementos was the use and inclusion of his creative muse. Each piece is accompanied by the photograph that inspired it, bringing to life a homespun version of story settings and a fictionalized version of how it came to be. My father and I used to play a game at shopping malls where we'd pick out a random person and he'd ask things like, "What color do you think their bedroom is?" or "Do you think they have a dog or a cat?" and other similar made-up backstories. So for me, Mementos resurfaced forgotten memories of a wonderful bit of my childhood. My favorite story is "Fox," which has a hunting party in the midst of a track and chase as the red fox watches from above, with a delightful and witty full-circle finale. I really loved this book and am absolutely certain that others who read it will be equally smitten by Cohen's writing."
Praise for Theodore Jerome Cohen's Writing Style
"A signature style that weaves fact with fiction." ~ Mark Mitchell, former editorial page writer for the Wall Street Journal"Prolific!" ~ Gary Sorkin for Pacific Book Review
"A unique, creative imagination." ~ Richard Blake for Readers Views
"Evokes a deep connection with the characters." ~ Faridah Nassozi for Readers' Favorite
"Smart, mature characters." ~ Krista Schnee for Hollywood Book Review
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