When our own darkness is mirrored in multi-faceted characters, do we look away in disgust or find the humanity within them and, by extension, ourselves? In his debut short fiction collection, John Mavin has slyly exposed hidden themes to the world with breathtaking potency, eloquence, and wit.
Rage follows a loosely interwoven group of people from the fictional town of Dolsens, Ontario. Archaeologists, mountain climbers, priests, musicians, psychics, soldiers, and teens all confront the rage and sorrow of lives based on lies and abuse as they struggle to gain their independence, their dignity, and in some cases, revenge. When such content becomes overpowering, Mavin’s lyrical and controlled writing keeps the reader so enmeshed that we cannot look away. These are the stories that hold us close with their suspenseful conflicts and a nagging uncertainty of what a desperate or angry person might do. They are often as dark as they are enlightening.Mavin's collections keep you hanging on until the last word.
"The collection of short stories captures the secluded secrets of a small town that is unable to keep its innocents. The way author is able to bring forth so many different and intense subject matter is no small feat, while not for everyone, Rage makes the reader go on an emotional roller-coaster, that in the end brings the reader to question interactions in their own town. Impossible to stop in the middle of a story, John Mavin's writing style keeps you hanging on until the last word."
