The Metal Shredders

The fact that Zafris is a Flannery O'Connot prize holder doesn't necessarily suggest there should be echoes of O'Connor in this work. That there are is part of the pleasure in reading it. The vivid portrayal of the underclass, the natural comedy and rhythm of their actions and dialogue, and the frank and touching insights into their thoughts are a confirmation of the writer's own inner life and savvy for understanding others. Forget he formulaic "name" novelists; give me more of Zafris.

Nancy Zafris' "The Metal Shredders" deconstructs the American family with the same thoroughness that a salvage-yard business picks apart an old LTD. These characters -- the Bonner family and the people who work for them -- are believable and sweet, and I cared deeply about them. Zafris, more than anyone else I've read, is good at showing the complexities of the male gender, its paranoias and fears and desires.

John Bonner now runs the family business John Bonner & Son Metal Shredders. Though John knows the ins and outs of the metal shredding industry and is quite capable of managing the operation, his divorce has left him shaken and on edge. His only source for guidance is his sister Octavia, but she is recovering from a broken relationship too and thinks they should the firm.When two workers find five thousand dollars stashed in one of the cars, John claims a finders keepers fee, but soon the money vanishes. Searching for the cash, John embroils himself and Octavia in a series of missteps and ultimately calamity as an employee dies. This returns John to square one wondering whether to sell the business, but has this additional albatross of the missing loot to deal with too.THE METAL SHREDDERS is a different kind of tale that is at its strongest when dealing with the business and the industry that has made the headlines in light of the World Trade Center. John is the focus of the tale and he is fully developed so that the reader grasps his concerns and worries. The secondary cast, especially his sister and the blue-collar workers, propels the plot for forward while enhancing the understanding of John. When the story line twists into a sexually aggressive secondary character it loses some of the sting of a deep insightful look at a unique profession. Nancy Zafris has easily taken the leap from short story writer to novelist.Harriet

Don't be misled by the title of this book. Although it is about a family of metal shredders, it is above all a beautifully written novel about people getting by in the world as best they can and trying to do no harm. If you like to read books where the writing is the reason for the book, you will like The Metal Shredders. This book deserves a lot of attention.