I know I’m not the only one to have been excited at the prospect of a published collection of Chris Rhatigan’s short fiction, and Watch You Drown certainly doesn’t disappoint. There are fourteen tales here and while each has its roots firmly in the traditions of classic noir, the stories very much inhabit the contemporary world.
These are stories about people who for the most part live on the fringes of society: if they have a job, they earn minimum wage, if they have a dream, they won’t ever see it realised. A nice counterpoint to this are tales about people who have simply been pushed too far, people who are put under such extreme pressure that they snap. A common theme is the potent combination of bad luck and bad decisions.
It’s difficult to single out favourites from such a strong collection, but I’ll try. ‘Skinny Latte’ is a darkly funny cautionary tale about the dangers of making someone work hard for something, then denying them the right to use it, and anyone who has ever worked in retail will understand exactly where ‘Service With a Smile’ is coming from. Finally, ‘Administrative Segregation’ is a bite-sized story that shows more about character and situation than many full-length novels.
Watch You Drown is an absolute gem of a collection, and a must-have for any fans of contemporary gritty crime stories. Very highly recommended.
These are stories about people who for the most part live on the fringes of society: if they have a job, they earn minimum wage, if they have a dream, they won’t ever see it realised. A nice counterpoint to this are tales about people who have simply been pushed too far, people who are put under such extreme pressure that they snap. A common theme is the potent combination of bad luck and bad decisions.
It’s difficult to single out favourites from such a strong collection, but I’ll try. ‘Skinny Latte’ is a darkly funny cautionary tale about the dangers of making someone work hard for something, then denying them the right to use it, and anyone who has ever worked in retail will understand exactly where ‘Service With a Smile’ is coming from. Finally, ‘Administrative Segregation’ is a bite-sized story that shows more about character and situation than many full-length novels.
Watch You Drown is an absolute gem of a collection, and a must-have for any fans of contemporary gritty crime stories. Very highly recommended.
Watch You Drown is Chris Rhatigan's debut short story collection. It is available from Amazon in the US and the UK. And if you want to know more about the author, Chris popped in for a wee Q&A a while back.
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