Captured Up Close: 20th Century Short-Short Stories

A performer (and pickpocket) makes a desperate escape attempt from a sinking ship. An impoverished woman finds employment and hope working in factories when all the men go off to Europe to fight the Nazis. A butch lesbian escapes a raid with a drag queen and a gay young man sneaks out of his house to go to a club.

In thirteen stories spanning eighty years, Diamondopolous has captured snapshots of American life in the twentieth century. I loved both the way Diamondopolous brought her characters’ voices to life on the pages – each story felt distinct and vibrant – and the fact that multiple stories centered on the queer experience, which all too often has been sidelined, especially in the years before Stonewall.

This collection is a quick read, and one which will be very easy to pick up, put down, and return to, depending on the reader’s mood and what they are eager to read on any given day. My one complaint was that, at times, the stories dipped too much into the characters’ heads and filled in too many blanks. Sometimes, in a snapshot, it’s okay to leave details out and let the audience work out what’s missing for themselves.