2021 has not been a great year for reading. I've trudged through one tedious book after another. I'm about to embark on a tough editing job, but I badly wanted something quick and easy before I went in to it.

I was looking through my shelves. Everything seemed too long for the moment, too familiar, too intimidating, too unpromising. My eyes settled on Jeff Strand's Allison, a book I've had for a while. Perfect.

At his best, Strand is a bold and daring writer who writes provocative fiction that brings on uncomfortable laughs. He is always at least a quick read. The man knows how to hook a reader and reel him or her in through the course of a story.

Jeff Strand reminds me a bit of Richard Laymon. Both are prolific, both writers are adept at plot and pacing, and both generate a lot of wit. Both are a couple of sick tickets as well. I like that.

Allison deals with a woman who has the unlucky curse of telekinesis. She can force others to move against their wills, but she is more likely to inadvertently make them self-destruct. Allison means well, and wishes no one any harm, so she lives a solitary existence. This world is killing her, and her psychic aim isn't true

That changes when she instinctually helps a pregnant woman from falling down. An innocent act, or so you might think. The expectant mother and her partner are no ordinary citizens. The father is part of a crime family, and he devises an ugly plan to take advantage of samaritan Allison. Bad move.

Meanwhile, a nice guy with problems of his own observes Allison help the woman, and he sees something impossible in the action. He decides to try to meet her.

This ignites a series of events that bring about wholesale destruction. Strand outdoes himself with the carnage and the body count.

What makes Jeff Strand's fiction work so well are the characters. They may not have a ton of depth, but they are instantly identifiable and we tend to like the protagonists. Even when they are exercising questionable behavior. The dialogue is sharp and often very funny, especially when the characters interact with a flamboyant crime boss.

I liked Allison a lot. I hoped for a different conclusion, and while I often decry saccharine happy endings, I wanted a better fate for Allison. The weird thing is, I am having trouble deciding whether Allison has a happy or a sad ending. That's Jeff Strand for you.

Written by Mark Sieber

No comments

The author does not allow comments to this entry