(Reviewed by JD Jung)
“South Africans were rumored to be rapists. The white ones especially.”
Nina, a single real estate agent specializing in expensive Los Angeles homes was nervous about meeting a potential buyer. Little did she know that her life would change that day, but for totally different reasons. This opening piece, “Libertines” sets the stage for the rest of the engaging stories in Fight No More.
Though each story can be read as a stand-alone piece; together they are the elements of an engaging novel focusing on family, friendship and the human condition.
Many of the same characters intersect with others in the stories, but each piece focuses on a specific protagonist. If you feel that one story was incomplete and want to know more, just hang in there. The answers will come.
The characters are not who we initially think they are. Most are like those we meet in everyday life, though some are rather peculiar. There’s the homeowner who thinks she saw midgets living in her attic. We meet a bipolar musician. We later realize that a rebellious teenager is angry for totally understandable reasons. An aging woman looking back on her life still wants to make a difference. And there are so many more fascinating characters. Some initially annoy us, but we wind up rooting for them.
Even though these stories take place in Los Angeles, I don’t feel the location is central to the theme. The situations aren’t unique to the city and could have occurred in numerous other locations.
The stories in Fight No More are relatable. Some are funny, a few touching, many disturbing, but all are captivating.
