Book Review: The Downriver Horseshoe
The Downriver Horseshoe. Scott Miles. Stolen Time Publishing, 2014, Paperback and Kindle edition, 205 pages.
Reviewed by Heather Adair.
In his collection of short stories, The Downriver Horseshoe, Scott Miles offers a fresh take on blue-collar life through a cast of offbeat, male protagonists. Most stories take place in Downriver Detroit, an industrial area on the south side of the city, and although Miles provides rich details specific to the location, it’s likely that you’ll find yourself imagining a setting near you. Solid writing connects us to places and characters that, on the surface, seem peculiar, yet fitting. So pull on a pair of work boots and step into a world where characters live day-to-day, leaving their fate to fickle Lady Luck.
At times, the characters struggle to make ends meet, but the theme that binds this collection of short stories together centers on relationships.
Protagonists struggle to find common ground with those close to them, even random strangers. In the end, some characters prevail, or at least set out to do so. Others are not as fortunate. Despite the gloomy circumstances, don’t be surprised to find yourself smiling. Miles creates unexpected scenarios for his characters, and he can paint a caricature in just a few words.
As one example, in “When You’re the Mailman,” the first story in the collection, George the mailman stops off at residences along his route when invited for beers and, occasionally, sex. Talk about transforming the mundane into the novel. Like many of us, George establishes relationships with people he sees everyday on the job. Some of these relationships are fleeting while others are more long-term, like the bond he develops with Otis, a two-year-old who lives with one of George’s drinking buddies. Courtesy of Otis, George finds himself in a jam that leads him to his foster mother, with whom he has an awkward relationship. As George reaches out to touch her, his conflicted feelings lead to this reflection: “I want to make her feel my gratitude, but also my sadness on what I missed out on as a child.” I won’t ruin the ending, but George is one of the characters whose fate looks hopeful by the end of the story.
As a bookend to the first story, the last piece, “Losing Focus,” offers an optimistic outlook for high school student Steven and his family. After overcoming cancer, Steven’s father retreats from family life into the past, spending his time away from work drinking with an old girlfriend and protecting his childhood home from the drug addicts who’ve taken over the area. With the family on the verge of collapse, Steven and his father bond as the latter tosses a beer bottle, causing it to shatter in the lamplight, along with the father’s withdrawal from the present. Steven observes, “Both of us then climb the hotel stairs while the broken glass on the ground sparkles in the distance like moonlight across a dark lake.” Hope exists for this family.
Although optimistic stories such as “Paddy Wagon” and “Mt. Trashmore” are sprinkled between the covers, others like “Freezer Burn” and “Altoona” end on a not-so-positive note. What separates the characters in these stories from the rest is a lack of inner change. While these protagonists attempt to solve interpersonal problems, they make hasty decisions: ones that either weigh too heavily on the risky side or too lightly on the responsible side. To say the least, these characters are idiosyncratic, but this reliance on impulse is one I’m familiar with. I know others are, too.
The circumstances surrounding these stories are unique, but the themes are universal and the characters relatable, no matter how hard they seem on the surface. Although I would like to see Miles create a female protagonist or two, I recommend The Downriver Horseshoe for readers who enjoy a quirky slice of life.
Two of Scott Miles’ stories have been nominated for The Pushcart Prize. He is currently working on his second novel.