A Quick Review of One Story No.121: Interrupted Serenade

I just recently subscribed to the literary publication One Story. For those of you unfamiliar with One Story, the basic premise is that the journal publishes one story every three weeks and sends it to you as sort of fiction chapbook. The pieces (that I have read thus far) range from about 14 to 30 pages and are well laid out on fine paper stock. For anyone interested in contemporary fiction, One Story is a must. The writers are stronged, varied in their form, and offer a solid window into what is being written in American short fiction today.

I'm still a little behind the publication schedule here, but I recently finished up looking at issue 121 (June 1/2009) and James Hannahan's story "Interrupted Serenade." I have to say that enjoyed this particular piece very much so in terms of subject matter. The story is essentially about Lopey, a younger kid growing up in Yonkers, and trying to make sense of his parent's recent divorce and the presence of his father's new wife(?) or girlfriend. Lopey has become a sort of problem child, slipping into the seeder side of Yonkers, but soon his parents discover his raw ability at piano and see it as an escape.

There is a lot of potential commentary in the piece about race issues in America (Lopey is black, so is his father, but his new "mom" Erika is white) that pervade the piece. These are handled well on the whole and Hannahan's balanced approach to illustrating them really help the story as a whole. There is a universal here that Hannahan manages to tap into with this story though; the powerful place of chance and choices in the growth of kids in America (while this piece is urban, I can see it pushed onto the rural). There is certain element to the piece that is reminscent of Jonathan Letham's Fortress of Solitude. An element that might offer more of a cross-over than a mimicking. Hannahan's story is strong and unique and it wouldn't be possible to consider it anything close to mimicry.

I might like to see a more controlled sense of narration in "Interrupted Serenade." This is primarily because Lopey is such a strong character and I feel that I would like to see more wholely into his head. Erika's viewpoint almost seems intrusive and at times folds the story towards something that might take away from the piece. Then again, that might be the point of her presence. Either way, I'm looking forward to finding more pieces by Hannahan after enjoying this particular piece.

If you haven't checked out One Story by all means you should. They have a great website with interviews they've conducted with the writers of a lot of their stories. Here's the link to their interview with Jonathan Pratt.