I Bring Sorrow

Abbott's short story collection, I Bring Sorrow, packs a sledgehammer-size literary wallop. It all starts with the title, I Bring Sorrow, which gives you a taste of the dark roads that are traveled here. The stories are diverse and start with stories about a search for a lost parent, now homeless, wandering with dementia. Other stories delve into helping a shut-in relative out, but are twisted. There is a sadness in the very walls of the houses in these stories. Other ones include a story about a kid who is a little off, but a good kid, and manages on an odd day to be the one running the police department. Then, there's a story about another time before cellphones where smallpox devastated the world and the madness that goes with burying one's child. From there, you might move on to a guy listing all the things he can't stand about his wife and a story about dating and singles bars. There are full-length stories here and some short quick pieces about revenge and angel's wings and fur capes. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without a story about fishing and the big catch and a story about a professional musician and devotion to artistry. There is often a wistfulness in these tales, a sense that things have gone horribly wrong, but maybe no one's quite at fault. Well-written, captivating, and definitely worth reading.