Descending Fire and Other Stories

In this, his first book of fiction, poet John Allman paints poignant pictures of working-class New Yorkers. The eight stories present the lives of characters in naturalistic settings as well as a futuristic pursuit, in which a father follows his estranged daughter through the years. Precisely written yet shaded with a poet's pen, the tales are without artifice but complex. In "Courtship," Lucille with her hennaed hair and ample middle-aged figure has left her husband, whom she castigates for having a wandering eye. It seems that Lucille does a little wandering herself before she returns. Home. We meet a night watchman who believes that a co-worker met with foul play, and that he himself may be the next victim. In one of the most smile provoking tales, a psychologist undergoes acupuncture while he broods on his failings and the world's. "Descending Fire & Other Stories" is a skillful and striking fiction debut. - Gail Cooke