If you haven’t come across a Stu Ross story before, here’s an opportunity to acquaint yourself with a minor visionary (in a good way), a dedicated small press practitioner and an all around nice guy. Mr Joe is the aphoristic story of a failed actor. It’s a monologue, really, and it’s about the conflict the individual inevitably has with their place in the big world. Crisp sentences and a dedication to exploring the slick celluloid crannies of the mind are what make Ross a fine writer and Mr Joe a tense, multifaceted, original read. (HN)
chapbook, Stuart Ross, $2, Proper Tales Press, Box 141 Station F, Toronto, ON, M4Y 2L4