If you’ve followed me on here for a while you know there are two things I’m not so keen on reading. The first one is series and the second one is short story collections. Now it seems as if I’m turning over a new leaf with the later. Water Street by Crystal Wilkinson is my third attempt at reading them and they seem to be getting better and better. I dare say I’ve been lucky or I just know how to choose a good book. Whatever it is Water Street is a short 
story collection you must check out.
The overall themes are about everyday feelings and problems – race, love and family relationships, mental health, getting older, coming of age, among many others. The characters in the book range from all different types and you’ll want to hear their story during the day and their inner secrets. You’ll sympathize with them even if you won’t necessarily agree with the decisions they make. The thing that made this collection stand out for me was the way these middle-class black characters are connected to each other through living in this Kentucky town called Stanford in a community around Water Street.
Wilkinson brilliantly tells each story with emotion, description, and realism. The stories don’t necessarily finish all tied up neatly and that’s because it’s real life. That feeling is what drives the book. This is the first time I haven’t felt like I needed more from a short story collection I finished. I believe a lot of it has to do with Wilkinson’s first-rate writing and her idea of linking the characters.
Crystal Wilkinson is an African-American author from Kentucky who is one of the founding members of Affrilachian Poets, which is a grassroots organization of writers of color living in the Appalachian region. She grew up on her grandparents’ farm in eastern Kentucky where they were the only black family. Wilkinson uses this as inspiration for writing her short stories. She was a 2003 Long List Finalist for The Orange Prize for Fiction with Water Street and has written other works such as: Blackberries, Blackberries (2001), and individual works like Holler (2013), My Girl Mona, Terrain, and First Sunday Dinner on the Grounds. I’ve already read Blackberries, Blackberries and Holler and liked them as well. I haven’t heard anyone talking about this author and I urge you to give her a try if you’re interested in these themes. Wilkinson is another outstanding black woman writer is going unnoticed and that’s a real shame.
Great post! I love her work also — wrote a review for Water Street a while back. My Amazon five-star review is under “Pretty Brown Girl” and dated May 2, 2003. http://www.amazon.com/Water-Street-Crystal-Wilkinson/dp/1612181112
Brilliant minds think alike! 😀 Will go check it out now.
Tiphanie Yanique’s shorty story collection has me wanting to read all the short stories! Of course all of them won’t be as lovely as hers was, but this looks like a good lead. I’ll check this one out and I highly recommend How to Escape from a Leper Colony
Hi Shannon this one is on my TBR. Since I’m on a roll I’ll have to push it up my list. Thanks for recommending it!
I love story collections that center around one town or community. (Winesburg, Ohio got me hooked on the concept, I think.) The setting sometimes ends up feeling like a character in itself. This one sounds great, I’ll need to check it out. Don’t think I’ve ever read anything set in Kentucky before, actually, so this can be my first [mental] foray down there.
You definitely should check it out Sarah. I’m sure you’ll find it interesting.
Great review! I’ll look into this, I love short stories 🙂
Please do. Well worth your time and very well told.
Wow, Crystal Wilkinson seems like someone I should be reading. The woman sounds fascinating! I struggle with short story collections too but I really want to give Water Street a try now. Thanks for the review! 🙂
You’re welcome Yamini. I’m so glad that I found her. I now have my faith renewed in the short story. I’m thinking about which one I should pick up next.
I just want to thank you for reviewing my work. I have a new book coming out next year in the Spring called The Birds of Opulence. I am so glad that I am helping with your disdain for short story collections or connected stories. It’s my favorite form. 🙂
Thank you Crystal for commenting and writing such awesome stories!!! I have noted The birds of Opulence and can’t wait to read it. I’ll be sure to review it on here and on my You Tube channel. Keep writing passionately!!! 🙂
[…] I read Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, Blackberries, Blackberries, A Piece of Mine, and Water Street. All four collections had me captivated and made me want to explore other short story […]