The Heaven of Animals

December 16, 2013
Imprecise language and a didactic resolution mar this entertaining but ultimately underwhelming debut collection of stories. Standouts include "Lizard Man," in which the death of a friend's father serves as a catalyst for a homophobic man to restore relations with his gay son (a plotline picked up again by the connected title story), and the pitch-perfect "Last of the Great Land Mammals," in which a dual narrative chronicles a couple's experience at Kentucky's Big Bone Lick State Park, culminating with the surreal image of a woman riding a bison. While some of the longer stories, such as "Amputee," wear out their welcome, due, in part, to clichés like "her touch was electric," the shortest stories in the collection feel padded. "The Baby Glows" and "100% Cotton," clocking in at under four pages each, and featuring a glowing baby and a stickup shooter, respectively, devolve into tired metaphors. There are some great momentsâgood bits of dialogue and interesting premisesâbut for the most part, the stories don't live up to their potential.

March 15, 2014

The heartbreaking stories in this first collection by multi-award-winning author Poissant, which have appeared in the Atlantic, the Southern Review, Playboy, and elsewhere, follow misunderstood, difficult characters, many in doomed relationships, some on failed quests. The characters are wracked by grief, suffer from physical or mental ailments, and perpetrate, suffer, or observe acts of violence. The collection is bookended by two stories, "Lizard Man" and "The Heaven of Animals," that chronicle a father who spends years attempting to atone for throwing his gay son out a window after catching him in a sexual encounter. We care about and sympathize with Poissant's characters, even the most conflicted and difficult ones. The pieces vary greatly in length, style, and subject matter. "How To Help Your Husband Die" is told in the second person, and the fake distance created by this conceit makes it all the more affecting. VERDICT Poissant is an excellent writer, and though much of the material is depressing, the brief and beautiful moments of human connection shine through in every story. [See Prepub Alert, 9/23/13.]--Lauren Gilbert, Sachem P.L., Holbrook, NY

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.