WAITING TO BE FORGOTTEN
Edited by Jay Stringer
November 2nd, 2016
Gutter Books
You can tell the minute something lands in your hands whether or not it’s a passion project. You know, if the person in charge was just marking time or if it’s something they stayed up all night thinking about: who to get involved, how to make it better, how to make it sing. WAITING TO BE FORGOTTEN: STORIES OF CRIME AND HEARTBREAK, INSPIRED BY THE REPLACEMENTS is absolutely a passion project. Editor and contributor Jay Stringer has long been a rabid fan of the seminal Minnesota based rock band, and with this anthology Stringer does his part to add to the legacy of the band.
Stringer, along with twenty-four of the most notable up-and-coming authors in the crime fiction genre, has used the song catalogue of the band as inspiration to craft stories that will make you grin, make you weep, and even make you shudder. All of these things add up to one heck of a compulsive read.
The stories in this collection focus on love, loss, revenge, shocking horror, and outrageous sexual antics, but WAITING TO BE FORGOTTEN hits the full spectrum of human experience. SW Lauden kicks off the anthology with CUSTOMER. What starts off as a touching dorky-guy-loves-sexy-girl kind of tale, ends up turning the trope on its head as a revenge tale a decade in the making. GOD DAMN JOB by noted crime/horror writer Ed Kurtz gives us a one of the most shocking reveals I’ve come across in recent times. And while Johnny Shaw’s GARY’S GOT A BONER had me giggling all the way through the story, there’s almost a sweet innocence laying just below the surface. Not to mention a healthy amount off-brand Mexican erectile dysfunction pills. ACHIN TO BE written by Kristi Belcamino is a nasty tale of sexual manipulation and escape. Angel Luis Colon’s KISS ME ON THE BUS is an uplifting story of redemption and love at the methadone clinic.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. With twenty-five tales in total, WAITING TO BE FORGOTTEN cuts a jagged papercut across the emotions of the reader. Love and loss. Laughter and tears. The song titles are merely used as inspiration, and the stories aren’t tied together into any sort of greater narrative. Stringer lets his authors work with their strengths and together they create a unique experience that that will appeal to fans of crime fiction. Not to mention fans who are always hungry for another touchstone to their favorite band.
Dan Malmon
