A couple seems on the verge of a break-up when they witness a car accident.

(from The Normal School, Spring 2009)

“We’ve not broken up,” I said. “Have we? We haven’t.”

I was very surprised that the small bio in the back of the magazine described the author as somebody with considerable experience. This story, while certainly interesting, seemed, at times, overwritten. As I read, I noted moments that called for tweaking, tightening, obfuscating. Many of the moves were telegraphed. Which is not to say I didn’t like it. I rarely finish reading something I’m not in some way engaged with. This story, with its vivid description of a dark, lonesome highway, will stick with me. I wonder if that kind of scene is as frightening for the average reader as the car crash.
There’s a pic of John Linnell of They Might Be Giants, because I couldn’t find the magazine cover anywhere online and this story just put “The End of the Tour” in my head.