John D. Ottini

Eleven short stories in this collection. At the end of seven, I can tell you the author needed a better editor, as every story has the kind of overstating that's just a bad habit. Such as 'she wiped the tears off her face with her sleeve' or 'nodded my head' or the like. Tears start on faces. Nodding is done with one's head. Many people won't notice. Every writer who's been editing, and every editor, will.

First story: Good.
Second: This one has random comma disease and a missing close-quotes mark, but I liked the poignancy.
Third: Meh.
Fourth: Okay, layered but ultimately depressing to me.
Fifth: Satisfying.
Sixth: No.
Seventh: Not bad. Predictable.
Eighth: Good, although I found it too long for the punchline.
Nineth: Disliked the end, guessed the big reveal... Maybe I missed something, but to me this one's incomplete.
Tenth: A Poe-inspired poem, which eliminated the extraneous words issue I have with this author's prose.
Eleventh: ends on a sad punchline.

Overall, not my favorite writer, turns out. But... at least it was a quick read? I don't regret reading five of the eleven.… (altro)