The Lineup: 20 Provocative Women Writers
Edited by Richard Thomas
Black Lawrence Press
November, 2015
Reviewed by Josh Black
In his introduction to The Lineup: 20 Provocative Women Writers, Richard Thomas explains that part of the reason he compiled the anthology is the lack of recognition for women in literature. In her foreword, Alissa Nutting says “I hope you find in this collection a story that does indeed affirm for you this agonizing truth – how things are not alright – in a way that is profoundly unsettling, yes, but also helps this actuality feel a bit less lonely.” These are stories that need to be told, by writers who mine deeply some of the darkest recesses of humanity.
In Holly Goddard Jones’ “Parts,” an alienated woman struggles to find some sort of balance and peace in the aftermath of her daughter’s murder. It’s a heart-wrenching story that candidly maps the mind of a parent in intense grief, illuminating thoughts and feelings ordinarily kept well-hidden.
In Nancy Hightower’s “Meréa,” a man wanders through a subterranean – or subconscious? – city in search of his missing wife. It’s a sorrowful descent into a place that “… grows with you. Unhinges her mouth to devour whatever memories you have, contracts the direction of her roads so you are always returning to the choices you didn’t make.”
One woman’s past meets another’s present as Karen Brown’s “Stillborn” unravels; the tone fluidly shifting from abhorrent to unsettling to bittersweet. It’s a story of violation, desire, and the missing pieces we sometimes spend our whole lives striving to find.
Damien Angelica Walters is in top form with “They Make of You a Monster,” a dark fantasy tale in which a woman, imprisoned for using magic, is gradually broken down both physically and emotionally by her captors. What they don’t realize is the sheer strength of her will, or the depth of her love for the woman she’s left behind.
An arachnophobe’s worst nightmare lies waiting In Laura Benedict’s “When I Make Love to the Bug Man,” a horror tale in which a woman’s infatuation with an exterminator leads to an affair with a chilling conclusion.
In Karin Tidbeck’s “Jagannath,” a colony of beings live symbiotically inside their “Mother”. It’s easy to get lost in the descriptive language here, the particular mechanics of this strange organic machine, but beneath the surface it’s about the death of one being’s past and her uncertain but necessary journey to independence.
Paula Bomer’s “A Galloping Infection” is a headlong dive into the horrors of physical and mental illness, aging, the erosion of intimacy and the worst sort of neglect.
Some stories don’t work as well as the rest, and certain readers will be frustrated with the more abstract and ambiguous pieces, but as a whole the collection is a varied and excellent sampling of some overlooked women writers. There’s even a list at the end of 100 more for further reading. If you’re into literary, transgressive, dark fiction, The Lineup is well worth a purchase.
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