Book Review – Encounters: Relationships in Conflict

Published on by J. Kelland Perry

I’ve been reading various collections of short stories lately, the latest of which was written by Fred H. Rohn.
Encounters: Relationships in Conflict is a unique, insightful and entertaining read.

The preface alone is a treat, where Rohn explains how he came to create this collection from accumulated notes and short stories over the years, and how each of them exhibit relationships and the “conflict between people resulting from differing perceptions, often between men and women and between different generations.”

In his preface, he also sets forth the belief that creativity does not have to end as you age, and that many seniors like himself are productive in a variety of artistic and creative endeavors. After all, they’ve lived through some pretty tough experiences which, I surmise, affords them a better grasp and understanding of the human condition. Reading this book only further convinces me of that!

As I began each short story selection, I found myself immediately engaged by the author’s sublime writing style and smooth but compelling narrative and voice. Each piece has its own charm, but I do have my favourites. The Piano Recital, Reunion Deals, Jennifer (!), Doc Brunner (that one brought a tear) and Harry particularly resonated with me, while others, such as The Old Man, made me chuckle.

This book offers clever insight to young readers and familiar life experiences for older readers. I highly recommend this lovely collection.

Review has been published on Amazon.ca and Goodreads.

Readers: do you enjoy short story collections?
Do you have any recommendations for a short fiction fan?

24 thoughts on “Book Review – Encounters: Relationships in Conflict”

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  3. This sounds interesting Jennifer. I must admit I tend not to pick short story collections much, in terms of classics, I love Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber, and always liked Sara Maitland’s short stories.

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  4. Jennifer, a terrific review and I’ve been in the look out for another short story collection … I just finished one by nine Northern writers recently – and this sounds perfect! Just bought a copy and can’t wait to read it! What an amazing achievement by Fred Rohn and an inspiration to us all. 😀

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