Dahlia Season: Stories & a Novella

I picked up this book b/c it was on Future Tense. I'm a fan of that imprint and thought I'd take a gander. The short stories in this book are fantastic. Some folks rarely pull off the sort of character development needed to make a short story compelling, but Gurba does this very well. She leaves you wanting more but in a good way. The novella is the big hitter in this compilation. A very funny and rather gut wrenching story about a beautiful woman who suffers from OCD and Tourettes. The lack of victimization in this story, coupled with more of a reconciliation of being creates an incredibly emotional journey. One of the more redemptive and exciting books I've read all summer. Cheers to Ms. Gurba on her first published book. And a big thanks to Kevin for making this happen.

"Dahlia Season" is brutally honest and raw. The book contains both the title novella, as well as a collection of the author's short stories...each and every one of them forced me to step outside of my stereotypical white girl world, and into the cultural chaos of these characters. While the short stories are incredible, the main focus of the book is the novella, "Dahlia Season." The main character, Desiree Garcia is a Mexican American mess...she knows she is different, and as a result she is basically fly paper for freaks. Desiree is a goth, a lesbian, and harbors some pretty unnerving thoughts. In attempt to right her thinking, her parents send her to a Catholic high school--when that doesn't work, they ship her off to Mexico to stay with relatives. While each of these experiences teaches Desiree some valuable life lessons, they also reconfirm her notions of who she truly is. Throughout the novella we are introduced to several just as bizarre characters; Desiree's friends make up a portion of the "freak" circle, and each are intriguing and entertaining in their own rights. Gurba's writing is brutal and sometimes painful. Filled with the confusion that is the teenage experience. On top of just being a teenager, Desiree is a lesbian, and we later find out, mentally ill. She suffers from a plethora of symptoms, most real, some exaggerated...and all making her daily life an adventure. I couldn't put the book down...I felt like I was right there with Desiree and her friends and family. The writing is accurate and real, and will force you to reexamine your own world..

I just finished reading this. All of the stories have a common thread and each story made me laugh as well as wonder about the author's sanity. The short stories are interesting but it is the novella that truly captured me. Once I got to the novella, I had a hard time putting the book down. It showed me lifestyles that I know little about. The interesting part is that all of the different lifestyles are being lived by one person. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Myriam Gurba has written a story that many will be able to relate to. Her characters will stay with you long after you've finished reading. One of the best books I've read in years.

The world that Myriam Gurba creates in Dahlia Season is one that I have never encountered before. A place where the strange and different becomes common and propriety is a question that has been forgotten. Desire becomes the name for all those impulses that are forced into hiding, and arise unrestrained in her disorienting prose. Dahlia Season reminds me that the human condition is at once elegantly familiar, but affirmingly diverse, and there is space in this world for everyone. I would strongly suggest reading this work.