Shoot the Horses First

I was already familiar with Leah Angstman’s work from her first novel Out Front the Following Sea. I was curious about what she would do with a shorter form of work and was not at all surprised to find that these pieces were just as beautifully written as her novel. Angstman has a knack for bringing beauty even to moments of the past that are horrific, and humanity to characters who were part of horrific events. This is as true in her stories as it is in her novels.

My favorite piece was the longest, “Casting Grand Titans” because its themes of independence and sexism in the sciences are deeply interesting to me. Even the shortest pieces still managed to draw me in. Some left me wondering at the mysteries lurking just beyond the page; others left me breathless with the power of their prose.

The only thing I might want to change would be how similar the tone can be from story to story. Often the beauty of the writing blends with melancholy, and while Angstman writes this very well, it can cause some of the tales to blur.