5/21/2023 0 Comments Let's Play White by Chesya Burke![]() ![]() Having said that, the greater number of stories in the collection are quite accomplished. A few of the stories were a bit slight, less than fully formed, or ended too near where they began. In order to pull off the mysterious ending, it's necessary to engage the reader and provide some kind of payoff, even if there's not clean resolution. Though I appreciate stories that retain mystery, or that leave key questions unanswered, several stories here left me unsatisfied. It's my belief that a writer's technique and skill change most quickly early in their career, so first collections or early novels are quite often uneven. ![]() So much fantasy and horror fiction tends to happen in imaginary alternate worlds, yet Burke demonstrates there are plenty of compelling settings for stories in the real world outside the most common "present-day-big-city" approach. ![]() Some are contemporary and urban, while some of the most effective pieces take place decades ago in the American South. The stories in this collection take place in a variety of settings, both in terms of time and place. To avoid Let's Play White for that reason would be a mistake, though, for any reader interested in a unique take on the horror and fantasy genres. I imagine some readers might have avoided Chesya Burke's collection due to the title, convinced that the stories were not merely concerned with the black experience, but intended specifically for a black readership. ![]()
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