See Through: Stories

Nelly Reifler's debut story collection, See Through, is a swarm of surreal tales, each buzzing with the friction of everyday people encountering atypical circumstances. "Baby" reveals with creeping horror the case of an overly intelligent newborn ("'Oh,' said the baby, wheezing, 'this is the tape with that bad Dutch cellist. Could you find the other, please? With Yo-Yo Ma?'"). "Teeny" is the harrowing story of a young girl beset with responsibilities she's not yet ready to tackle. "Personal Foundations" brings us a squirrel that feels such kinship with rats he begins to adorn himself accordingly (would that be a trans-species-ite?). Especially hair-raising is "Rascal," in which a young misfit bicyclist vents his roiling resentment on unsuspecting campers. Not all the stories are successful. Several end suddenly, just as it seems they're warming up, which is especially frustrating since the plots up to that point are so compellingly odd. The majority, however, are humorous or haunting (and often both), drawing their vivid, lasting imagery from a foundation in the all-too-real. --Brangien Davis