Mississippi Noir

Very uneven collection. A couple stories were great, most were of middling quality, a couple were simply awful.

"Anglers of the Keep" was a fantastic story, but was more in keeping with the southern gothic tradition than noir. It was sad and melancholic, but hit all the right notes. It reminded me a of a Bobbi Ann Mason story.

For a middling to good story, "Moonface" hit the right notes as a noir confessional.

On the lower scale of okay, there's "God’s Gonna Trouble the Water". It had a good Romeo/Juliet plot with the right characters and a great setting. But it was far too cliched - the writing was mediocre with unrelated details and plodding dialog.

On the awful end of the scale was "Oxford Girl". This was, by far, the worst story in the book. Strangled and overwrought. Told in archaic, ridiculous language that pulled me straight out of the story and left me rolling my eyes. Nobody talks like that. Nobody. Damn, that story was awful. That one is going to stay with me for a long, long time as a horribly written story. ( )

Next time you’re about to pick up a Lonely Planet or Fodor Guide before visiting a new state, consider instead the Noir series published by Akashic. You won’t find recommendations for chic or charming places to eat, sleep and drink. There won’t be a list of noteworthy individuals and historical events. Instead of skimming on the surface of a locale’s best and brightest, you’ll dig deeper into people and places abandoned or forgotten. Depressing but memorable.

Mississippi Noir is the latest in the Akashic repertoire and includes 16 stories by contemporary writers from the state. Tom Franklin, the best known among the writers here, wrote the Introduction called “Welcome to the Bottom.” It is short but packs a punch which is no surprise if you’ve read Franklin’s Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. Franklin reminds us that although dirt poor compared to just about every other state, the crooked letter state dominates with its formidable writing talent: William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Donna Tartt, John Grisham, Greg Iles, and on and on and on. Eccentricity, the inescapable past, and dark deeds are bedrock elements among these authors. The misery and despair revealed in this collection seem like a logical extension of that.

One definition of noir says it is film or fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism and moral ambituity. Yes, these stories contain those elements but dark as the mood is, they are not as bleak as those in Helsinki Noir. Mississippi gives you heat and humidity and mold. Helsinski gives you bone chilling cold and ice. So noir itself has a range in gloominess.

The stories in Mississippi Noir sprawl across the state, landing mostly on the RV parks, railroad tracks, and other byways of a largely rural state There’s even a map showing a body count for the stories showing well known places like Oxford and Yoknapatawpha County but also lesser known ones with suggestive names like Thief and Olive Branch.

Literary fiction uses a lens that focuses on dysfunctional individuals and families but in noir you’re dealing with characters bruised, hunted, and remorseless. Life is askew but that's just the way it is and you go from there. Some stories have a more optimistic view and include a hint of renewal but they are the exception rather than the rule.

Oxford Girl by Megan Abbott, and Digits by Michael Kardos both have a touch of the macabre making them almost horror stories. Moonface by Andrew Paul has a narrator who experiences remorse which is rare among these stories. These are some of the stories that I liked best, though my favorite was John Ford’s Pit Stop about a mother travelling on State Highway 25 with her 2 young children who recalls what happened to her travelling this same lonely stretch years ago.

Reading the stories is a cumulative experience. The stories seemed to get stronger as they were read in order. Is that because the stories themselves got better or something about the building layers of hurt, violence and despair getting under the reader’s skin in a more disturbing and emotional way.

If you’re interested in taking a walk on the wild side but don’t want that walk to be too long, consider Mississippi Noir.

This collection of stories, while uneven, captures many aspects of the Deep South. From the truly creepy southern gothic tale, to the realities of poverty, hopelessness, and racial inequality, it is a worthwhile read.

I am a long-time fan of the Noir series from Akashic Books and just finished their most recent release Mississippi Noir that came out earlier this month. Mississippi as a state is a fount of great literature, including some of my favorites like Eudora Welty and William Faulkner. It is also a state rich in the mystery genre with settings perfect for suspense. It’s not wonder, then, that this anthology is a standout in an excellent series.

Tom Franklin organized the stories in four sections, the first has stories of conquest and revenge. The second features wayward youth, the third is called Bloodlines with some of the most painful stories and the last section is called Skipping Town. The stories are often grim, tragic and heartbreaking, but not always. The last story, “Cheap Suitcase and a New Town” is even kind of hopeful…kind of.

Mississippi is a powerful presence in most of the stories, not just the landscape, but the grinding poverty and the pernicious racism are a backdrop to many of the stories.

I disliked one story, “Oxford Girl” by Megan Abbott. I would like to forget that story. It was, however, well-written. Like all the other stories, it was emotional powerful and wrenching. I disliked it on a deep level, in part because it reflects a truth about misogyny, about men who kill women simply because they feel that’s their right as men. I can’t deny the art, what I really hate is the reality it represents.

I loved “God’s Gonna Trouble the Waters” by Dominqua Dickey. It was fascinating, a story of multi-generational secrets and the power they have, but also a story of love and redemption. William Boyle’s “Most Things Haven’t Worked Out” broke my heart. “I got broken by being so close to kindness.” Is there a sadder sentence?

I loved Mississippi Noir and recommend it highly. It gives us entrée to the variety and vitality of Mississippi, not just from the dirt roads of entrenched poverty but also the wide streets of suburbia and middle class ennui. If there is a common element, it’s a directness, the simplicity of telling a story that we need to hear.

I received an e-galley of Mississippi Noir from the publisher via Edelweiss. Check out the Akashic Noir series at Akashic Books.

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2016/08/18/mississippi-noir-ed-by-to... ( )

From Tom Franklin's potent introduction , stating the grim statistics that haunt Mississippi's denizens, and of course the title itself, the reader is made fully aware that these stories will be about the downtrodden. Those who live in trailers, drugs, drinking, often there own worse enemies, hooking up with the wrong people, casual sex etc. Franklin also mentions the many fantastic authors who have come from this state, those in the past. and those in the present.

So some of these stories are from familiar names, Ace Atkins and I loved his story, Combustible, William Boyle, Megan Abbott, Michael Kardos and relative newcomer, Michael Farris Smith, whose story Magnolia was one of my favorites. Another one that sent chills down my spine and make me think twice about where I stop for has or a restroom is the story, Pit Stop by John M Floyd. Though in this one the heroine manages to have a relatively normal life with a nice twist thrown in. Some of these stories will just be going along but end with an unexpected bang. Where did that come from? So I enjoyed these a few more than others but actually an amazing grouping of stories from many great or soon to ne great authors.

ARC from Librarything. ( )