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A review by nadinekc
Dance on Saturday: Stories by Elwin Cotman
5.0
Boy, did I hit the jackpot when I received an ARC of this book - it's such a thrill to discover an under-the-radar author with so much talent! I'm not his mother or his hostage, honest.
Cotman's stories have the same mix of the ordinary and fantastical as those of Karen Russell or Kelly Link, but are in no way derivative of them. His imagination and his voice are very much his own, and his writing feels effortless and perfect. The fantasy/speculative genre has long been the whitest of white spaces, and Cotman brings some much needed diversity in character and sensibility. Here's a taste, spoken through one of his church-lady characters (who happens to be immortal):
The stories are about 30-ish pages long (plus one superb novella), which gives Cotman the room to fully flesh out his worlds and characters. Each story is so different and so fascinating. My favorite is the novella-length story that gives the book it's title. It's about a small group of immortals who have established the Fruit of Jehovah Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, PA. They appear to be a bunch of black senior citizens, complete with church ladies in big hats and puttering deacons, but appearances are magically deceiving. (Note: they aren't beautiful gods under the skin or weird aliens - that would be way too easy and boring.) The plot alone is entertaining, but Cotman gives each of these characters a depth and poignancy that takes the story to a whole other level. My next favorite story, "Among the Zoologists" takes us to a zoology conference that's like an X-rated, S&M Lord of the Rings. Seriously. Other stories involve demonic possession in a middle school girls volleyball tournament, life in a Pittsburgh juvie, a steampunk-ish African fantasy, and a Dickensian story of orphans in an early 20th century city. Like I said, an imagination with no bounds. The cover of the ARC says Cotman is working on a novel. I can hardly wait.
Cotman's stories have the same mix of the ordinary and fantastical as those of Karen Russell or Kelly Link, but are in no way derivative of them. His imagination and his voice are very much his own, and his writing feels effortless and perfect. The fantasy/speculative genre has long been the whitest of white spaces, and Cotman brings some much needed diversity in character and sensibility. Here's a taste, spoken through one of his church-lady characters (who happens to be immortal):
"There was a time I was sad to be black. I would look around and all I saw was suffering. I would ask the powers, 'Why do they treat us so bad?' I hated the powers for what they had done. But I learned the pride. That I was of a people who could take all the hate and poison of this world, and laugh, and go dance on Saturday. And my brothers and sisters weren't just the ones I grew up with. Now I had many."
The stories are about 30-ish pages long (plus one superb novella), which gives Cotman the room to fully flesh out his worlds and characters. Each story is so different and so fascinating. My favorite is the novella-length story that gives the book it's title. It's about a small group of immortals who have established the Fruit of Jehovah Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, PA. They appear to be a bunch of black senior citizens, complete with church ladies in big hats and puttering deacons, but appearances are magically deceiving. (Note: they aren't beautiful gods under the skin or weird aliens - that would be way too easy and boring.) The plot alone is entertaining, but Cotman gives each of these characters a depth and poignancy that takes the story to a whole other level. My next favorite story, "Among the Zoologists" takes us to a zoology conference that's like an X-rated, S&M Lord of the Rings. Seriously. Other stories involve demonic possession in a middle school girls volleyball tournament, life in a Pittsburgh juvie, a steampunk-ish African fantasy, and a Dickensian story of orphans in an early 20th century city. Like I said, an imagination with no bounds. The cover of the ARC says Cotman is working on a novel. I can hardly wait.