Zoetrope; All-Story Vol. 16 No. 4

Zoetrope; All-Story Vol. 16 No. 4

I really enjoyed the 4 stories in this issue but outside of a couple pieces I'm not a huge fan of the art. I've always liked the format of this literary magazine, 3-4 new stories and the last one usually having been adapted to a movie and a different guest designer for each issue.


The Hot War by Tom Paine
Loved this story. It's a sad story about a man dealing with his daughters death after falling through the ice while playing pond hockey. Great surrealism.

An Impending Change of Heart by Emily Ruskovich
This story is about a college age woman who temporarily loses her way. She breaks up with her boyfriend because she starts to feel like things have gone bad but she hasn't realized it yet, then moves back home with her parents and befriends a local 10 year old boy. Loved the main character and was amazingly well written.


Who Now Lies Sleeping by Steven Heighton
Ultimately this story centers around the challenges of a rural older man dealing with his feelings about his gay son. Impactful and heartfelt.

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner by Alan Stillitoe
I've never heard of this movie but the brief introduction says that it's one of the most important films in British history. It tells the story of a young criminal who reflects on what brought him to be incarcerated as well as being asked to try to win a long distance race for the pride of a reform correctional facility. Honestly it was my least favorite story in the issue but still entertaining.


ART BY JOHN BALDESSARI

This is a good example of the art in the issue and it's my favorite piece. I could see myself hanging this in my home but as I said earlier overall I wasn't a huge fan of the style.