If the Heart Is Lean

September 1, 2008
Luongo's excellent first collection showcases the author's mastery of the fundamentals of storytelling. The stories range from the chilling-"Embankment" is as terrifying as a classic horror flick-to the surreal, as in "Pedagogy," in which a professor boils his head to make a point. There's humor in "Boyfriends," as a dead woman listens in on the eulogies of her ex-husbands and boyfriends. Luongo shifts her tone from tenderly disaffected to sweetly hopeful in "Cake," the tale of a shy friendless woman who, recently out of an unhealthy relationship, begins to connect with her coworkers. In every story, Luongo's expressive imagination reveals layers of emotion and intentions; even her most frustrating characters draw the reader's empathy. Luongo is a fascinating storyteller; each piece has a gravity and life of its own.

September 1, 2008
In her debut story collection, Luongo shows an unusual range that makes it difficult to classify her many gifts. "Buoyant," for example, is one of several short shorts of two to three pages that dip into a particularly heightened moment, in this case a pregnant woman's experience of swimming; one could not think of a better example of content dictating form. Other, more traditional narratives surprise us with elements of magical realism, like the hilarious "Pedagogy," in which a bored college professor boils and bleaches his head, exposing his skull and spine for his next classroom appearance to liven things up and allow him to write up his experiment for possible publication. In the title story, the heart in question is real and palpable (it's from the local morgue) but no longer functioning, a mordant reminder of the many ways in which we rationalize the irrational aspects of love. Readers looking for a break from the classic "New Yorker" domestic comedy will find much to admire here. A writer to watch; recommended for public and academic libraries.Sue Russell, Bryn Mawr, PA

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