Brawler: Groff's Writing Shines Even in Flawed Narratives

   

 

 BRAWLER: STORIES (2026)

By Lauren Groff

Penguin Random House, 248 pages (Large Print version)

★★★

 

Lauren Graff is one of my favorite novelists and has a devoted following. Brawler has garnered rave reviews and several of the stories are stunners. Of the nine stories in the collection, though, there are a few that underwhelmed me, including the collection’s title tale. Its protagonist, Sara, is an individual with two personalities, the tough (aka/brawler) athlete and the shy kid aware of being an outcast because of her poverty, sick mother, and unkempt appearance. In my view, how this shaped the rest of her life warranted more than 12 pages and few sentences at the end.

On the other hand, her theme of “the ceaseless battle between human’s dark and light angels” “To Sunland” nails it. Goff explores 17-year-old Joanie’s dilemma after her mother dies and leaves her mentally challenged brother Buddy in her care. Joannie has a scholarship to a college in Maine and can’t wait to get out of Florida. As it happens, a lot of Floridians try to get what they can out of Joanie before she goes, her mother’s things, a cheap feel, a captive audience for evangelizing, her money…. Can she leave Buddy at a facility and get on with her life? It’s a taut tale about need versus guilt.

“Birdie” comes at this from a different angle. Five old friends gather two decades later when Birdie lies dying. More accurately, four were friends; Nicole never considered herself part of anyone’s in-crowd. Nic can’t help but think of the decisions she and the other four made or were made for them. Reunions are often a terrible idea, especially under unhappy circumstances. More terrible still is to play a game of the “worst thing” one has ever done with people you no longer know and were unsure of back in the proverbial day. Everyone shares, though a lot is inferred, left unsaid, or akin to fictions made up for Sunday confession. Nic feels very guilty about something, but she’s only truthful with Birdie in private. Is there a greater grace than to confess for real and find out that the person you thought you had wronged never gave the incident a second thought?

Another excellent story is “What’s the Time Mr. Wolf? It’s the longest story in the book and takes us inside a well-to-do banking family. How many stories about the wealthy involve the black sheep of the family, the member who is “as dumb as… newts,” happy to exploit his privilege, drinks too much, or just drifts and assumes everything will work out? That’s Chip; he’s all of those things. After four years of failing at banking his family packs him up and involuntarily sends him to a remote part of New Hampshire to dry out. There he meets Pearl Spang, an old conquest who acts as if she never met him before. She’s out of his class and probably has no recollection of him. Chip will discover some hidden resolve, but this one has a bleak ending.

The above are emblematic of how Groff deals with human foibles. In essence they are like the old cartoons in which an angel sits on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Groff understands that short stories need their protagonists to clash with antagonists, either in the flesh or in the form of intangibles such as ambition, revenge, and temptation.

Goff is quite skillful at turning phrases and writing poignant sentences. These shine through even when the narratives fail to resonate. Her last chapter, “Annunciation” deals with real poverty and a variant that comes when someone with resources simply stops caring and drifts into perceived poverty. One such woman, Griselda, told stories that were true but were thought to be fanciful. Art factors into “Annunciation” and our antagonist muses over precious works of art: “There are a thousand Madonnas here, with a thousand different faces. Each Madonna wears the face of a particular mortal woman whom the artist loved. Each woman is one in whom the animal was briefly overcome by the god that lived within her.” In “Birdie” Nic describes her flight home: “She rose into the flight, that gorgeous liminal moment that’s a respite between lives; and descended again into the grind of the quotidian.”

Words such as these sing to me long after the stories fade.

 

Rob Weir

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

BRAWLER: STORIES (2026)

By Lauren Groff

Penguin Random House, 248 pages (Large Print version)

★★★

 

Lauren Graff is one of my favorite novelists and has a devoted following. Brawler has garnered rave reviews and several of the stories are stunners. Of the nine stories in the collection, though, there are a few that underwhelmed me, including the collection’s title tale. Its protagonist, Sara, is an individual with two personalities, the tough (aka/brawler) athlete and the shy kid aware of being an outcast because of her poverty, sick mother, and unkempt appearance. In my view, how this shaped the rest of her life warranted more than 12 pages and few sentences at the end.

On the other hand, her theme of “the ceaseless battle between human’s dark and light angels” “To Sunland” nails it. Goff explores 17-year-old Joanie’s dilemma after her mother dies and leaves her mentally challenged brother Buddy in her care. Joannie has a scholarship to a college in Maine and can’t wait to get out of Florida. As it happens, a lot of Floridians try to get what they can out of Joanie before she goes, her mother’s things, a cheap feel, a captive audience for evangelizing, her money…. Can she leave Buddy at a facility and get on with her life? It’s a taut tale about need versus guilt.

“Birdie” comes at this from a different angle. Five old friends gather two decades later when Birdie lies dying. More accurately, four were friends; Nicole never considered herself part of anyone’s in-crowd. Nic can’t help but think of the decisions she and the other four made or were made for them. Reunions are often a terrible idea, especially under unhappy circumstances. More terrible still is to play a game of the “worst thing” one has ever done with people you no longer know and were unsure of back in the proverbial day. Everyone shares, though a lot is inferred, left unsaid, or akin to fictions made up for Sunday confession. Nic feels very guilty about something, but she’s only truthful with Birdie in private. Is there a greater grace than to confess for real and find out that the person you thought you had wronged never gave the incident a second thought?

Another excellent story is “What’s the Time Mr. Wolf? It’s the longest story in the book and takes us inside a well-to-do banking family. How many stories about the wealthy involve the black sheep of the family, the member who is “as dumb as… newts,” happy to exploit his privilege, drinks too much, or just drifts and assumes everything will work out? That’s Chip; he’s all of those things. After four years of failing at banking his family packs him up and involuntarily sends him to a remote part of New Hampshire to dry out. There he meets Pearl Spang, an old conquest who acts as if she never met him before. She’s out of his class and probably has no recollection of him. Chip will discover some hidden resolve, but this one has a bleak ending.

The above are emblematic of how Groff deals with human foibles. In essence they are like the old cartoons in which an angel sits on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Groff understands that short stories need their protagonists to clash with antagonists, either in the flesh or in the form of intangibles such as ambition, revenge, and temptation.

Goff is quite skillful at turning phrases and writing poignant sentences. These shine through even when the narratives fail to resonate. Her last chapter, “Annunciation” deals with real poverty and a variant that comes when someone with resources simply stops caring and drifts into perceived poverty. One such woman, Griselda, told stories that were true but were thought to be fanciful. Art factors into “Annunciation” and our antagonist muses over precious works of art: “There are a thousand Madonnas here, with a thousand different faces. Each Madonna wears the face of a particular mortal woman whom the artist loved. Each woman is one in whom the animal was briefly overcome by the god that lived within her.” In “Birdie” Nic describes her flight home: “She rose into the flight, that gorgeous liminal moment that’s a respite between lives; and descended again into the grind of the quotidian.”

Words such as these sing to me long after the stories fade.

 

Rob Weir

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Music for Spring 2026: Caatrin Finch; Boiled in Lead; Breabach; American MIle; Hallie Grace; Clayton Chaney; Michael Rudd

What could be better than spring and new music releases, including a few Celtic gems?

Catrin Finch hails from Wales, a place that knows a few things about great harp music. Her new Notes to Self has an interesting hook. She uses the prompt of writing letters to herself when she was 13 and went by “Katy,” then transposes the feel of those notes into music for an all-instrumental album. Finch is 45 now, and has learned a few tricks along her path. For instance, many of the tracks use repeating musical patterns topped by bass lines, and looping. There are, at once, memorable melodies and an intimate feel. “13 opens as if a teen is practicing her lessons, but quickly shifts to her mature side in which the strings ring like bells amidst quieter secondary melodies.  Call it where force meets airiness. The video for second single “Kin” takes this a step further. In a girl-is-the-mother-of-the-woman sweep we see footage of Finch as a child practicing before cutting to her as an adult playing “Kin.” The music is majestic with lullaby-like contrast , but we can see her having some fun. (Check out the sneakers!)  She’s more formal on “Clear Sky,” though its ringing strings could also evoke a gentle rain. Most of the record is on the formal side, but “Black Holes” is… well, it’s hard to say. Soundscaping for sure, but with enough structure to make it more than random.  Put simply, Ms. Finch simply commands her instrument.

 

 

 

Does the band Boiled in Lead ring any bells? This Minneapolis-based quartet has been around since 1983, generally (but not always) as either a punk band or some sort of Celtic outfit (Celtic rock/punk/post-punk/world music, etc.). Bass player Drew Miller is the only original member in a band that has changed styles and personnel to follow the direction the musical winds are blowing. Their punk roots notwithstanding, the Boiled in Lead moniker comes from a version of the folk standard “The Two Sisters” as interpreted by Clannad, that gentlest of plugged-in Celts. At one point, BIL was seen as America’s answer to Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. Later they drew comparisons to Hüsker Dü and more lately to Gogol Bordello.  On King of the Dogwoods BIL opts for a more subdued sound. Former lead vocalist Todd Menton has rejoined the band, Mo Engel now pounds the drums, and Haley Olson Miller plays a fiery fiddle. The song “King of the Dogwoods” does have a bit of early Steeleye vibe, though the song itself is somewhere along the musical spectrum between bluegrass and Goth. It’s about movie monsters and the things that perhaps lurk in the dark woods. Its very ambiguity is a step back from creepy. “Je t’Aime, Helena’’ sounds like something swampy from the bayou. They go full rock and reel on “Haley’s,” but what do you want to do with “Bucimis,” which is Bulgarian for both a folk dance and poison hemlock. It’s more a headbangers' dance than village fa-de-da, though one could imagine a poisoning. There are others built around folk melodies. So, what kind of band in BIL? The word eclectic comes to mind on an album with more variety than Jimmy Fallon.

 

 

I recently saw the Scottish band Breabach in concert and picked up their latest recording, Fás, a Scots Gaelic word that means rejuvenation, sprouting, or growth. The CD is from 2022, but it wasn’t yet part of my collection. I will go on record as saying they are far more exciting live than in the studio, but the song "Fás" is a good way to introduce yourself to a band whose Gaelic name translates “bouncy.” Breabach (bray’-ah-bak) will bounce you right out of your seat when both Calum MacCrimmon and Conal McDonagh put down their Celtic whistles and heft the Highland pipes. “The Old Collection” is a lively tune that shows how the band balance the pipes with normally quieter instruments such as fiddle, guitar, and double bass. The melody and song leads come from the husband/wife team of Ewan Robertson (guitar) and Megan Henderson (fiddle), which Henderson picking up most of the Gaelic-language offerings such as “Fàs” or “Eadar an DàBhràigh” (“Between the two braes), the latter on which she warbles like a fragile bird. “John Mackenzie’s March” is a lovely tune and song about loss. Breabach might not yet have the stature of classic bands like Silly Wizard, the Tannahill Weavers, or Ossian, but they’re getting there! Side Note: When I visited Orkney a few years ago I met Megan's brother and uncle!

 

To move away from Celtic, fans of Southern and country rock should sample American Mile and their album American Dream. “Straight from the Heartland” might make you think these guys are Bread Basket-born, what with talk of dusty roads, a beat-up truck, and a “worn-down home,” but they are based in Los Angeles. Lead singers Eugene Rice and Joe Perez belt out gritty songs and have voices made for arena rock, which is no doubt why they draw comparisons to both Aerosmith and Tom Petty. “Hard Workin’ People” has a soulful, funky feel to a song that celebrates the working class and an appreciation for their challenges. “TuffLivin’” is more of the same message, but their live version is dynamite: two electric lead guitars, bass, and a full drum kit. They’re plugged in, loud, and American Mile has stories to sing about.

 

 

Hallie Grace is an Indie-pop singer, so naturally she gets compared to Taylor Swift, Maggie Rogers, Sara Bareilles, etc.  I suppose that’s inevitable when: (a) she has just released her first full-length album Motivation, and (b) she plays piano as do those better-known figures. Nonetheless, it’s ironic for someone with a song titled “Imma Just Do Me” Motivation contains 11 tracks that investigate life’s ups and downs and what to do when the second of those arise. She should know; she’s had quite a few herself. Grace, now based in Charlotte, is the kind of artist who appeals to Millennials and Zoomers, peppy, kind of sassy, and confident of her abilities. “Vice” has dance grooves but I was more impressed by Grace’s balance of lower, darker tones and her birdlike highs. “Her Fight Remains” is a look at battling disease, especially Epidermolysis Bullosa skin disorder (sometimes called “butterfly skin”). Grace tends to go vocally from gentle to strong. Sometimes the production on her full-tilt vocals comes off as overproduced, but it’s hard to deny that she has a great set of pipes. “When the Rain Falls” reminds me of Patty Griffin and given my enthusiasm for Ms. Griffin consider that’s high praise. 

 

 

Clayton Chaney recently dropped the single, “When the Light Comes In” from his new recording Too Far. It’s a musing on love and religion, but the title alone could be his theme song. He left Arkansas for Los Angeles at age 18, and put performers like Roger Miller aside for meatier material from bands like Dawes. Chaney has a big voice and a fondness for flamboyance. After all, he has a song titled “Something About Los Angeles.” It’s a country-folk song as well, but somehow California country sounds different. It’s cleaner production-wise for one thing, in-the-studio kind of way. I’m fond of title track, “Too Far,” which is about dreams that don't come true, yet has a hopeful edge. Call is stripped down country acoustic that wears its honesty on the guitar stock. It has a homespun feel that hits you like a freight train after some of the glitz wears away. “Roots Grow Deep” has a similar feel and, man, can this dude stretch his voice.

 

 

 

Folks in Western Massachusetts may remember Michael Rudd, who lived here for a time after leaving New Jersey. He lit off for the West and now lives in New Mexico, a place that can stun with its beauty and make you weep over its poverty. He was the principal of a K-8 school at Acoma Pueblo, which has been occupied for over 900 years yet has a poverty rate of around 24 percent. Rudd went back to music after hearing songs in his head; his third studio album Ways of the World samples some of them. It’s an often poetic album that examines the human condition by digging deeper and pondering transcendence rather than the quotidian. If you know New Mexico, a song like “Water” resonates, though Rudd’s deep voice takes us to the depths of the soul. “On My Way”oozes darkness, but again in a contemplative way. Rudd uses strong baritone to sing the blues, bring us down, and lift us up. One example is “There’s a Rainbow in Your Mind.” There’s a rainbow in your mind/You got thunder in your shoes… You got nothing, left to lose. If you want bluesy Americana at a faster tempo try “Not Today.”

 

Rob Weir

 

 

Not Today:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF844OsFF6k&list=RDlF844OsFF6k&start_radio=1

Poignant Short Stories from Claire Keegan

  

So Late in the Day: stories of women and men [sic on lower case]

By Claire Keegan

Grove Press, 2023, 118 pages

★★★★★

 

Some have hailed Claire Keegan as the greatest living Irish writer. I would not care to dispute it. So Late in the Day is three short stories that can be read in a quiet room in less than hour, but will stay with you for days. As the subtitle suggests, they feature the interactions between women and men, but they are merely the protagonists, not what the tales are about.

 

Irish fiction is often sad. The title tale is about Cathal, who does boring work that reflects his boring life. As he is about to go to his home in County Wicklow just south of Dublin, he realizes he forgot to save the financial document upon which he was working. Only a Polish cleaning lady that he dislikes is still around when he finally leaves. I reckon many of us have made such a careless mistake, but in Cathal’s case it’s indicative of a pattern. The story is really about how non-thinking carried into a relationship can be deadly. On the bus home he thinks of his almost-wife Sabine. Just a year earlier they were engaged, but his thoughtless disregard and inflexibility sent her packing back to Normandy. She also took his spirit with her and Cathal has now become the callous misogynist bloke he always hated.

 

In “The Long Painful Death,” Cynthia is lucky to be on Achill Island for a two-week writers’ retreat. She is staying in a home where the Nobel Prize-winning author Heinrich Böll once stayed, but she has a touch of writer’s block and has easily settled into the island’s slower pace. That is, until her lethargy is interrupted by an insistent German man who has been told he can see the house. First, he comes without notice when Cynthia isn’t ready, then he returns and criticizes her work habits. His arrogance is palpable but at least Cynthia knows how she will end her novel!

 

The concluding story, “Antarctica,” is the creepiest of the three. It involves a married woman with three kids who tells her family she is going Christmas shopping. In truth, she intends to trawl the city to find a man with whom she can have sex. She’s not unhappy in her marriage, she’s merely curious about what it would be like. She finds a guy who is a fantastic lover, but you certainly don’t need me to tell you about the potential dangers of having sex with a stranger.

 

If everyone could write short stories like Claire Keegan, I’d be a much bigger fan of the genre. I find far too many short stories either oblique or so obsessed with style that the narratives fail to spark. Keegan writes crisp prose that sharpens serious subjects such as anomie, fears of violence, and both physical and emotional isolation. In her worldview, a lack of consideration is a form of carelessness that yields unintended results on the tragedy scale. Her view of Irish men is pretty bleak and I suppose she could be accused of misandry. Or, you could call it turnabout is fair play. Your choice.

 

Rob Weir

 

Note: Achill Island is off the western coast of Ireland across from County Mayo. It has long been associated with writers and artists. The island is also associated with Grace O’Malley, a famous Irish female pirate. Confession: I have never read a word of Heinrich Böll.