Book Review: The Werewolf of Polnoye and Other Stories
The Werewolf of Polnoye and Other Stories. Harry White. Self-published, March 9, 2020, Trade Paperback and E-book, 160 pages.
Reviewed by Mike Freveletti.
Something I find exhilarating while moving through a short story collection is thinking about the time between the creation of stories and how the author has evolved throughout that process. The Werewolf of Polnoye and Other Stories by Harry White hits a lot of different notes tonally, and I found myself not entirely sure what to expect from story to story. It appears the author was experimenting with themes including solitude, family, higher education, religion, and the fantastic—all of which made for an interesting reading experience.
The collection starts very strong with “The Teacher,” a story that looks as though it draws on the author’s experience as a professor and the types of lasting relationships that can be forged between student and teacher. In this story, we get short, clipped sentences with just the right word selection to convey blunt emotion. The minimalist realism at play regarding what we should expect from our teachers had me thinking back to the teachers I’ve had throughout my educational career, how much those folks taught me, and how little I remember about them as people. White stays on the realism path with the next story in the collection, “The Enigma Man,” which pulled me in almost immediately with the title and ended up forcing me to think about that character we all see every day who seems to be following us. Who is that guy, and what’s his deal? Why is he always in the same place every time I see him?
After a couple of realist tales, the collection goes in a slightly different direction, that I wasn’t ready for. The author gave me pieces that looked to have religious connotations and mythologies built by the author that may have been rooted in history (I’ll confess it’s a history I’m not entirely familiar with). Then he pivoted and shared a fantastical piece, the title story, “The Werewolf of Polnoye,” which so awesomely flips the fairy tale form on its head. I’d recommend you just read it in case a werewolf ever shows up in your town. This story may help you handle it. In “The Rabbi’s Magic Wagon,” the author sticks to the fabulist subject matter, allowing the reader to find out what happens when a character has a penchant for thievery. White is a solid stylist in that I felt like he was transforming his storytelling methods for each piece, given how seamlessly they navigate between what is real and what isn’t. However, some stories that ventured outside the realistic vein didn’t always stick the landing.
The author is at his best when he’s taking a deep dive into characters and the unknowable nature of day-to-day life. Another strong candidate for best piece in the collection, “Pillow Talks,” is a masterful exploration of loss and love, including what it means to be a parent and raise children, and what it’s like to fall in love after having your heart broken in more ways than one. It’s a beautiful story.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the artwork that’s peppered throughout the collection by Chicago born artist Leopold Segedin. Being a fan of visual art as well as short fiction, I felt like I was getting a mixture between an art book and a short story collection, something I found incredibly pleasant as I read. White’s The Werewolf of Polnoye and Other Storiesis a mostly satisfying read with some gems of realist short fiction. There are stories you’re going to want to visit again when you find yourself just in the mood for good old-fashioned storytelling.