Reviews for Rest Area

The average rating for Rest Area based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-07-31 00:00:00 Jack Vaughan 3.75* At first I thought I’d end up DNF’ing this book after about 3 stories. I convinced myself to read atleast 5 of the stories and then I couldn’t stop reading til I was done with the book. This book is not for the faint of heart. I’ve read darker books but some readers may not care for these kinds of dark tales about the underbelly of the world. I fairly enjoyed most of them but will probably not give it a reread so I will be unhauling it.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-01-30 00:00:00 Curtis Bottoms This was yet another happy-accident purchase and what drew me to the book while shopping in the bargain store is its vibrant red cover. I've always been quite interested in anthologies because I believe that the short story is an underrated craft then and even until now. I went with my instincts when I bought Rest Area and I was quite pleased with what I got. The collection reads more as a series of first-person (and a couple of third-persons) accounts on fixations ranging from the most ridiculous and disturbing of things. The titular story opens with a father who is searching for his little girl when they happened to stop by for some gas and she ended up disappearing from the bathroom. The story is terrifying, highlighting parents' fear when a child is ripped from them by unseen abductors followed by the agonizing search and rescue and the delay of closure. The thematic resonance of guilt seems to play an important role in this story and the others as well which feature assorted characters who combat the delusions that they themselves allowed to be infested with. There are stories about forlorn desires that remained unmet which had therefore inspired them to take more vengeful actions. Each story is a really fascinating journey to the heart of darkness, taking us first from the poisoned veins and right into the bone and marrow of desolation. For any reader who enjoys darkly humorous stories about spiritually depressing characters, Rest Area will appeal to you immediately. There are no happy endings for Chapman's fallen and destitute heroes and heroines in this volume; only the inevitable quick stop to nightmarish possibilities, encountered because of a singular wrong turn at a crossroad that they should have never traveled in the first place. But, just like the father in the opening story, these characters seem to keep coming back for more because of the personal demons that they are locked in an inner battle with. I don't have the book with me right now while I write this review but the one story that I could never forget was Milking Cherry. It's about a prostitute who allows her customers to cut and leave scars in her body as a sort of bittersweet keepsake of each experience. She sees herself as a container of plausible redemption for men who enjoy her in sin and lust when they crave for something more freeing and complete. There are several more stories that offer this kind of dichotomy between hopeful meditation and the lack of it, stories about penchant nostalgia and terror of the past, and tales about obsessions that took a step too far in fulfillment. RECOMMENDED: 8/10 * Rest Area is such a delightfully enjoyable read even if the stories themselves offer no sense of joy or salvation. Chapman's lyrical prose could be read aloud as well, preferably with an audience listening.