Unreal City: Stories

Reading Unreal Cities, by Thomas E. Kennedy, was a real pleasure. From the moment I picked it up I could tell that this was an author I could subscribe to. His first short in the book is about a man who makes it his personal quest to eat everything in his house. The story is detailed and thoughtful, and is an insightful exploration of how obsession can quickly become enlightenment and just as quickly fall apart. Though there are a few stories that I couldn't handle, most of them were along a similar vein and were similarly thought provoking. From a man who briefly finds truth in a shadow, to a darwinist whose ultimate understanding of the subjective realities of nature get him shoved down a flight of stairs by creationists; each story is another example of where the search for enlightenment can take us if we don't watch ourselves carefully. It isn't the greatest book in the world, but 2.5 simply doesn't do it justice.z.

Kennedy's Unreal City shows the pleasures of a novelist at his peak of creativity. The endearing readability of Carver and the emotional impact of Nabokov can be found between the pages of this book. Buy it and be blessed.--Nick Carbo, author of El Grupo McDonald's