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Review

In most of the stories in this collection by writers mostly under 30, the young write about what they know best – the young. This is refreshing: Too many short stories about the young are written by middle-aged men from projected fantasies or, at best, exaggerated memories. There is lust – teenage characters are horny by nature – but sex doesn’t dominate the anthology. And these aren’t coming-out stories – the characters, even the under-21s (and there are many) know, or sense, that they’re queer. Some of the writing is ragged, but the literary standard is at least always promising, and often exhilarating. Sam J. Miller’s “Haunting Your House,” Billy Masters’ “Elliot,” Stephen Boyer’s “Spunk,” L.A. Fields’ “Happiness,” and Michael Graves’ “Seahorse” are among the most polished contributions, but none of the other 13 disappoints. Two of the standouts are by the editors: Mastbaum’s “New Year’s Eve 2000” captures adolescent slacker angst with dark and comic precision; and Will Fabro’s “Sixteen” depicts a 16-year-old’s angry sexual demands and desires with brutal clarity. Many contributors are working on novels: the future looks cool.

 -- Richard Labonte, Books to Watch Out For