Published: Oct. 24, 2011
Words: 16,311 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781452462844

Short description

Murmurs: Gathered Stories Vol. One brings together nine previously published stories hand selected to best represent the darkness prevalent in much of Caleb J. Ross’ fiction. Deformities, parenthood, childhood, each treated with literary integrity, come together to map the visceral, gut-wrenching side of family life.

Extended description

Murmurs: Gathered Stories Vol. One brings together nine previously published stories hand selected to best represent the darkness prevalent in much of Caleb J. Ross’ fiction. Deformities, parenthood, childhood, each treated with literary integrity, come together to map the visceral, gut-wrenching side of family life.

Ross’ obsession with the domestic grotesque is represented here in full, ranging from his very first published story (Petty Injuries) to his most recent (as of the publication of Murmurs) Click-Clack, a story that appears in Warmed and Bound: a Velvet Anthology. Packed within Murmurs is a story of a mother who hopes for a kidnapper to take her disabled child away (Legs Unwilling), a vampire origins story where sucking blood turns out to be less painful than a broken home (Born Again Michael), and even a story rooted in Ross’ real life wherein a group of young boys play a game that involves running in front of oncoming traffic at night (Car Dodging).

Ross’ work .. (Read more) Murmurs: Gathered Stories Vol. One brings together nine previously published stories hand selected to best represent the darkness prevalent in much of Caleb J. Ross’ fiction. Deformities, parenthood, childhood, each treated with literary integrity, come together to map the visceral, gut-wrenching side of family life.

Ross’ obsession with the domestic grotesque is represented here in full, ranging from his very first published story (Petty Injuries) to his most recent (as of the publication of Murmurs) Click-Clack, a story that appears in Warmed and Bound: a Velvet Anthology. Packed within Murmurs is a story of a mother who hopes for a kidnapper to take her disabled child away (Legs Unwilling), a vampire origins story where sucking blood turns out to be less painful than a broken home (Born Again Michael), and even a story rooted in Ross’ real life wherein a group of young boys play a game that involves running in front of oncoming traffic at night (Car Dodging).

Ross’ work has been compared to that of Chuck Palahniuk, Darren Aronofsky, Kurt Vonnegut, Dave Eggers, and Sherman Alexie. The influence of each resonates in Murmurs: Gathered Stories Vol. One.
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Tags

vampire, friends, school, children, revenge, art, teenagers, abuse, metafiction, circus, domestic, fatherhood, deformity, grotesque

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Reviews

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Review by: Cathleen McCleary on April 25, 2012 :
This book was a surprise to me. The stories were dark and twisted. Though I normally do not read stories of this nature, I enjoyed reading these. The author has such a way with words and sentence structure that I felt drawn into the stories. The base emotions brought to life throughout this book are very compelling.

I salute you as a writer.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Frank Edler on March 28, 2012 :
MURMURS is the perfect title of Caleb J. Ross' story collection. These are fairly short bursts of that unique domestic fiction that Ross not only has a penchant for writing but also executes to a level that could earn him the moniker of 'Father of Domestic Fiction'. If another writer tells stories quite like this, I do know know of him or her. Please pardon my ignorance if I am wrong.

The stories do indeed echo the sentiment of the book's title. Quick little tales, murmurs, troubling little yarns each with a disturbing little look at relationships. Relationships observed from different perspectives and emotions toyed with in the mind of Ross like a kitten batting at a feather on a stick. While these are not dismal views, the glimmers of hope can only be found by digging deep through the muck. Happiness will not be served on a silver platter.

Once again I walk away from another of Caleb Ross' work with an uneasy feeling. When everything looks like it's going to be alright that's when you need to look again. The author is brilliant at looking at a tender moment and peeling away the layers to reveal the disturbing grotesque. We connect with it because under all our facades lies a bit of that same ugliness to some degree or another.

The completion of this book represents all the short story collections Caleb Ross currently has published. I must now venture forth into his longer works, STRANGER WILL and I DIDN'T MEAN TO BE KEVIN. Both continue to play in the world of familial relationships. I can not wait to have my emotions unsettled a little bit more.
(reviewed long after purchase)

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