A review by drewbutler
Cool for America: Stories by Andrew Martin
4.0
How It Feels To Not Be In Control
For those who’ve read Andrew Martin’s debut novel Early Work, there was a distinct feeling of aimlessness and anxiety throughout. At its core was a person who felt rudderless and as if they were falling behind as their peers gained control over their destinies and in a sense, left him behind. That feeling is present again in these collection of stories, but with a broader range of characters. Martin explores some familiar faces and places, with Montana featuring prominently once again some friends we met in Early Work, but he also introduces us to some new ones. The theme of substance abuse runs heavily throughout, but it points to the underlying helplessness that our characters feel. Someone always has it together better than they do. Someone always has expectations they aren’t living up to. It’s a very specific feeling, and Martin’s characters inhabit it in a myriad of ways.
The main theme I took away from this collection was not how many different ways someone can feel adrift and rudderless, but how many different ways there are to respond to it. We see some who continue to push on towards a goal they know deep down they will likely never reach. Others abandon any hope and spiral, regardless of the consequences. The feeling is not unique to our characters, but their responses are.
Like Early Work, these stories can make you laugh and then punch you right in the gut. We don’t get very long with each character, but most are still well-developed and given enough facets to see them clearly. A great collection of stories, and I’m excited to see what he writes next.
For those who’ve read Andrew Martin’s debut novel Early Work, there was a distinct feeling of aimlessness and anxiety throughout. At its core was a person who felt rudderless and as if they were falling behind as their peers gained control over their destinies and in a sense, left him behind. That feeling is present again in these collection of stories, but with a broader range of characters. Martin explores some familiar faces and places, with Montana featuring prominently once again some friends we met in Early Work, but he also introduces us to some new ones. The theme of substance abuse runs heavily throughout, but it points to the underlying helplessness that our characters feel. Someone always has it together better than they do. Someone always has expectations they aren’t living up to. It’s a very specific feeling, and Martin’s characters inhabit it in a myriad of ways.
The main theme I took away from this collection was not how many different ways someone can feel adrift and rudderless, but how many different ways there are to respond to it. We see some who continue to push on towards a goal they know deep down they will likely never reach. Others abandon any hope and spiral, regardless of the consequences. The feeling is not unique to our characters, but their responses are.
Like Early Work, these stories can make you laugh and then punch you right in the gut. We don’t get very long with each character, but most are still well-developed and given enough facets to see them clearly. A great collection of stories, and I’m excited to see what he writes next.