After coming up for air after reading Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 (at a well-worthwhile 925 pages), I've been seeking out shorter works of fiction. Maile Meloy's collections of stories are just the thing.
After reading Both Ways Is The Only Way I Want It, I turned to her first collection, Half in Love. Ranch girls, a lovesick ranger, a homesick serviceman, and an ice harvester all have a story to be told. For many of the characters, shaped by their environment, weather plays a devastating role. If it's not a blizzard, it's black ice. If it's not winter, it's a scorching, windy heat.
For some reason, stories featuring the hardships of Montana winters are comforting while experiencing a relatively snowless winter here in Michigan. Come February, I may need a different story to read.
