A review by rpmirabella
OH PAIN by Kyle Winkler

5.0

I really don't know how many times I can say it. Kyle Winkler is an important writer, with a seemingly unlimited imagination. The weirdness of these stories is not there for the sake of weirdness, though it is fun, and nutty, and surreal, but it is also hooked to the emotional lives of the people in these stories. It's a special writer who can create a character in your mind within the first few lines of a story (Homebody), or tackle the brutality of our time without falling into sentimentality or preaching (Geshmak). My favorite story here is the mysterious, wildy imaginative, sorrowful Last Night With Cicely. But really, each of these tales offers their own glowing satisfaction. If you're coming here for the weird, you won't be disappointed, and you might be frightened or freaked. But there's real pain in OH PAIN, and real life.