Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #40
Litzine, Gavin J. Grant and Kelly Link, 60 pgs, Book Moon, bookmoonbooks.com, $5
In Amber Burke’s “In Pictures,” a failed actress spots her ex-husband out with a new woman, and thinks, “I should save this feeling,” but then realizes the emotion is “as useless as any of her possessions.” She is lost — well, almost. It’s difficult to capture hopelessness with grace, but near hopelessness is a true rarity. But Burke is not the only contributor to offer a slim but real chance of escape in issue 40 of this utterly unique, long-running litzine.
Take “The Fruit That Bears the Flower,” which takes place on a magical farm where cows eat glowing flowers that make their milk taste good. The farm owner’s granddaughter finds she is pregnant after eating a flower herself, stirring up a strange family fight that leads her to make a run for it. These stories, mostly on the gonzo side, are unpredictable, compelling tales.