I’ve developed a great interest in books focusing on the disabled experience. I’ve read a few books along this vein, Disabled Intimacy being the most notable one. In addition to this I’ve been trying to read more short stories. So when I found the Soul Jar which is both focused on disability written as short stories.
The book consists of thirty one different stories told from a variety of perspectives. My favorite piece in the book is “There are No Hearing Aid Batteries After the Apocalypse” by Carol Scheina. The story is about a deaf woman who has to contend with a world without her hearing aids. It is a intriguing story about how disabled people fit into a post-apocalyptic setting. It has a positive slant unlike most stories with disabled characters and focuses on the potential good people could do.
Spore, Bud and Bloody Orchid by Jaye Viner was another hit. About a woman who is dealing with the aftermath of surviving Cancer. Put off by the medical industrial complex, she meets a serial killer. The serial killer gives her a new way to look at things.
It’s very tongue in cheek about the medical complex, but is serious and thoughtful at the same time. The way the woman and the serial killer interact when it comes to talking about illness is thought provoking.
A Balanced Breakfast does particularly well showcasing the abserdity of being a disabled person in a ‘healthy’ world. The story focuses on a cystic fibrous paitent who summons a breakfast cereal demon.
Finally the ending piece Cranberry Nightmare by Kit Harding. It is about an autistic girl living in a small town with a haunted cranberry bog. This story is perhaps the spookiest piece setting a great ending tone for the anthology.
Between Cranberry Nightmare and There Are No Hearing aids at the End of the World. Each piece bookends the Soul Jar collection quite nicely. These stories set up and wrap up the themes throughout the book. And they both reflect the tongue in cheek sense of humor that runs throughout the whole collection.
The book also have a bit of an absurdist lens which I think is needed for the content. I’m totally rating this five out of five stars. I will be looking for more from these authors as well as other pieces from Editor Annie Carl.
Rose's Book Garden 