FICTION

This Is Not an Accident

by April Wilder
Viking. 2014. 224p. ISBN 9780670026043. $26.95. F
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The nine quirky stories in this collection by Wilder, whose work has appeared in Zoetrope, McSweeney's, and Guernica, detail absurd situations involving people either on the way to a breakdown or who have already reached their destination. By way of bad romances, outrageous friendships, or substance abuse—or all of the above—the feckless characters embrace their karma, even savor it, or at least do nothing to change their ways or alter matters. Wilder's observations are startling and effective, her descriptions clever and distinctive, and her writing stunning, impossible to ignore or take lightly; imagine Andy Warhol's soup can meets Vincent van Gogh's starry night.
VERDICT Edgy, bizarre, exaggerated, this book can be exasperating yet very entertaining. Not for readers seeking sweetness and light along the lines of a Hallmark card-type read.
Reviewed by Joyce Townsend, Pittsburg, CA , Mar 15, 2014
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