In his second short story collection, NIGHT LIFE:, author Shelby Raebeck’s characters are contending with loss and inner darkness set against backdrops of vividly rendered nature, the suburbs, or urban jungles. Some are cruel and capricious, some are relatively altruistic, some are coming-of-age and directionless. All are brought to life with expert characterization and imbued with longing that is profoundly sad and deeply relatable.
In the opening story, “Trophies,” two brothers fix up their deceased mother’s old house in Long Island, hoping to make some money by selling it. They’ve been living on opposite ends of the country for over a decade and their relationship is somewhat strained. The situation becomes complicated when a wildlife preservation group makes an offer on the house after learning there are bald eagles on the property. In the title story, a disaffected teenager lacking a stable home life skips out on school but finds a community and a sense of purpose constructing zip lines in Central Park. In “Dream Girls,” a 14-year-old boy named Ricky is grieving the loss of his mother and encounters her ghost repeatedly as he tries to find a way to move on. These scenes are depicted with poignant subtlety. Ricky watches as his mother applies makeup and lotion, and they chat amicably, though both characters know that she is a ghost. “Lonnie keeps telling me to let go of you,” Ricky says, referring to his sister. His mother responds, “Then let go,” and smiles as she applies rouge to her cheeks.
Raebeck excels at writing dialogue that rings remarkably true. In “Night Life,” the teenager, Arthur, is asked by his guidance counselor if he thinks he might be holding onto grief about his mother’s absence. Arthur responds by demonstrating his intelligence and emotional range, “Gravity pulls bodies down to earth…but dark energy, which is 68 percent of everything, pulls them back out to space.” When the counselor asks if he is saying that dark energy pulled him away from his mother, he responds, “Didn’t have to…She wasn’t holding on.” A story called “Dry Season” features a scene with two couples having dinner on Long Island; as they continue to drink during the meal, they become increasingly tipsy and their relationship problems more flagrantly on display in their conversation. The interpersonal dynamics are skillfully rendered, giving the story a taut atmosphere of discomfort, despite the fact that on the surface, it appears to be a pleasant evening among friends and lovers.
While these stories are often melancholy in mood, they are never morose or maudlin. The characters have an earned sense of sadness, and there is an undercurrent of hope running through many of the stories, particularly when someone finds a moment of joy amidst an otherwise bleak situation.
Shelby Raebeck has an inimitable talent for writing complex characters with depth and precision and his second short story collection, NIGHT LIFE, is an evocative, bold collection in the traditions of Raymond Chandler and John Updike.
~Lisa Butts for IndieReader