93. The Refusal Camp

The Refusal Camp. James R. Benn. 2023. [March] 255 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I rejoice in the Sabbath. Not for the words of the English preacher or for the hardwood bench in the rear of their Sunday god's church. 

Premise/plot: James R. Benn's The Refusal Camp is a collection of short stories. It's a blend of history, mystery, and war--for the most part. Not all stories fit into a neat category. The stories span centuries. The stories are as follows:

• The Horse Chestnut Tree
• The Two Neds
• Glass
• Red Christmas
• The Refusal Camp
• Irish Tommy
• Billy Boyle: The Lost Prologue
• The Secret of Hemlock Hill
• Vengeance Weapon

The Refusal Camp, the title story, features the girlfriend of Billy Boyle in her undercover identity. Irish Tommy features Billy Boyle's father and uncle. The Lost Prologue to the novel Billy Boyle does not feature Billy Boyle. It does tie into the first book, but, Billy Boyle himself is not present. The other stories are definitely stand-alone stories. (I think ALL of the stories can be read that way.)

My thoughts: I would rate the story "Glass" to be FIVE STAR all the way. It is one of the BEST, BEST, BEST short stories I've read in years. I highly recommend seeking out this story. Even if it's your own story to read from this collection, it's worth a check out from the library.

Plenty of the stories I would rate as four stars. The characterization is there. Many are oh-so-human. It's hard not to get attached to the characters and their stories. The stories can be a little dark and gritty. Not for shock value, at least I don't think so, but because war is horrifying and traumatic. 

My least favorite story is probably The Secret of Hemlock Hill. I didn't personally want to read about over-enthusiastic "archaeologists" or "historians" dig up graves to see if they can find Civil War era stuff to sell.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews