A Voice for Independent Authors
― E.A. Bucchianeri
REVIEWING TODAY: BIRD PEOPLE AND OTHER STORIES BY CHANTELLE ATKINS
In the introduction to her short story collection, Bird People and Other Stories, Chantelle Atkins informs the reader’s expectations by explaining that these are all stories related to her other writings: novels, stories, works-in-progress. The danger in such disclosure is that the reader who is unfamiliar with Ms. Atkin’s previous work might feel disinclined to proceed further. That would be a huge mistake. For, even as she also suggests, the stories themselves are meant to stand alone. And they do, in that deeply intriguing way that certain inadvertent glimpses into a mundane daily life create deep impressions on our thoughts and emotions, sometimes for a lifetime. Or sometimes these little glimpses reveal the larger pattern in the microcosm of a moment. A lifetime in a minute.
Chantelle Atkins is a masterful author with a sure command of words, and she has become thoroughly adept at using her words – as an artist uses paint – to convey both the description of events as well as the emotional foundations and underlying psychology beneath them. Her characters are vividly real. Uniquely alive. And mostly deeply troubled. Nowhere is this more apparent than in her title story, Bird People. Bill Robinson is just a young man sitting on a wall, drinking more than he should, and watching birds. But that is not the story. Beneath the surface he watches people, the human condition, and his disappointing self. A lifetime in a minute.
Each story is like this. Some will break your heart. Some will have you cringing at the cruelty of people. Some might give you hope. But all will pull you in and remind you that you too are living in a complicated world. That you too have inadvertent glimpses of the whole. That sometimes you may experience your whole lifetime in a minute. That, my friend, is the incredible skill of Chantelle Atkins.
Joel R. Dennstedt – Reviewer
Author-Journalist-World Traveler
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In concert with the sentiment above, I share my professional reviews of books by Indie Authors. I am an official top reviewer for Readers’ Favorite, a highly-regarded and award-winning online review site. Adhering to their standards of professionalism, ethics, and formatting, I offer my life-affirming voice to a greatly deserving field: Indie Authors.