Chris Cander

Book 180 - Chris Cander - Grieving Conversations

A short novella, another freebie…

A child goes missing…the father turns up…high on meths and has no idea where he left the baby…the snow storm threatening the search and thus the child is closing in…

A local sheriff battling through a marriage spilt and a difficult upbringing tinged with death and sibling rivalry that teeters towards hatred…and that’s it…baby is found…we discover a little about the background…but no tension…no drama…and due to the brevity of the story no proper conclusion

Some good ideas were definitely floating around but none stick

Simply…sigh…… (more)

It's Hard to Care About Cops

CW: Drug Addiction, Harm/ Missing Baby

I wanted to like this more than I do, especially after how much another story by the author, Eddies, truly did a number on me. But there was the instantly alienating aspect of the protagonist being a 'good' cop... which, I don't want to read anything trying humanise the police. The only thing that could humanise a cop is them no longer being a cop. ACAB. Period.

Besides the hero cop protagonist, the story felt a little too melodramatic and misery porn in a way I never felt about Eddies. There's a lot of information and timelines and events and emotions and they are all so very big and important and awful or wonderful or awful. Honestly, it reads like a spec script for a police procedural pilot.

The writing quality is high and there is emotion there for sure, and the performance is pretty great. It just didn't come together effectively for me personally. I know my own predispositions played a part, but I don't think my overwhelm/ underwhelm response can be entirely blamed on that. Still want to read more of the author, but will go on forewarned and try to avoid anything that focuses on cops.… (more)

Unbelievably Moving

Three quarters of the way through this story I started bawling my eyes out, which is always a great bellwether for how effective and impactful a short story is. There's just something so beautiful in the incredibly human and visceral desolate bleakness and moving in the potential for hope.

This one really came out of nowhere and knocked me for six. I absolutely need to read more from this author.

The performance by Gabra Zackman is perfect.

Honestly, listening to this has made paradoxically made my day from just how sad and emotional it made me.… (more)