Ways to Read the World: Stories in Triptych by Robert Scotellaro


Ways to Read the World: Stories in Triptych
Title : Ways to Read the World: Stories in Triptych
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : -
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : -
Publication : First published January 1, 2022

Ways to Read the World is another masterwork by a brilliant weaver of the compact tale. Robert Scotellaro’s ability to compress whole worlds into a few sentences is singular and always profoundly entertaining and illuminating. As with the author’s previous short-short fiction collections, this new effort challenges the reader’s complacency and imagination––a sudden turn of phrase and the train is off its tracks and bound in unexpected directions. The innovative triptych format works to marvelous effect, expanding and enriching the motifs and themes of its luminous prosetry. Scotellaro’s artistry, wit, and insight are on exquisite display in this superb new volume. A triple delight and triumph.

– Michael C. Keith, author Insomnia 11 and Quiet Geography.

Ways to Read the World: Stories in Triptych Reviews

  • Tara

    Robert Scotellaro is well-known in the world of flash fiction. He's considered a master of the form and is branching out and experimenting with short prose. I've read all his books so far, and I believe this one to be his best. There are too many wonderful triptychs to mention. But here are some wonderful excerpts from some favorite stories:

    From The Widower's Feathers: "He has Emily Dickinson poems tattooed across the near sum of him. In Times New Roman as if they were typed there. This is the part of him known only to the women he dates. Privy to the shock of them excavated in dim light as he disrobes."

    From Chickens in the Parlor: "When my mother felt her life had become drab and spark-smothered, her lipsticks became redder and redder."

    From Rodeo Clown: "The bull torpedoes out of the chute: a bulky ballet of heft and violence."

    From The Antiquity of Certain Moments: "He becomes suddenly aware of the antiquity of certain moments. Like crazed china, somehow old in an instant."

    Then there are stories like Stuck about conjoined twins that are stellar, and the whole collection ends on a pitch perfect note.

    It's been an honor to ride alongside this writer and watch his career grow, and I'm thrilled to read these latest masterful little stories.