Carnival of Reality

Allison Whittenberg’s characters have a lot of soul. They’re riled up outspoken and sometimes even silent in which case they’re still saying a lot.. They’re convincingly alive and they come at you from the page. In this brilliant mid-career collection Whittenberg’s Carnival of Reality investigates the complexities in human relationships from a decidedly black woman’s perspective. In the first engaging story “Ride the Peter Pan” touches on gender and elements of racial bias. You will root for main character Arna­—and her journey as she comes to terms with the aftermath of date rape. In another absorbing story “Choice” a single mother is faced with a Hobson’s choice as she is faced with the possible increase to her family. Her ultimately aching decision is a most realistic one. . Whittenberg’s writing is thick with zany and fearless elements in “The Sane Asylum.” The humor is there mingled with the desperation in Lucy a mother trying desperately to keep her rebellious head strong son from a conscription notice. Another highlight is “Why Didn’t You Call Me 9/11?” the story of Jean who lives with her mother in a far from the Twin Towers small town. She is in a go nowhere interracial relationship with a commitment phobe engineer and must reckon with her loneliness and her place in the world.