A Patchwork of Prose And Other Loose Ends

Book excerpt: The author gives us a series of Anthologies anchored by the novel, A Season of Dishonor. This is the final punctuation mark to the trilogy formed by Elledge’s narratives, To Go Forth in the Midst of Wolves and To Go With Rage. Dishonor is a biographical rendition of the life and times of Margo Winters as she faces the wrath of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist tirades during the early ‘50s and follows the path toward her eventual attainment of religious sanctity. This title is followed by three novellas: The Color of Evil, a portrayal detailing the plight of two abused women struggling to break away from overpowering and tormenting men who have plagued their lives. Together they devise a plan to free themselves from this hostile environment and begin life again on their own terms. Of Bread and Wine and Other Things, centers on the plight of a Hispanic man who, after having a heart attack, attends Mass for the first time in years and mentally reviews his life’s journey. The Final Rape of Deirdre Sullivan, a story taking place during the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland in the ‘60s and a young girl’s effort to bring conciliation to this bloody conflict. The rape of the girl is analogous to the rape of Ireland by those troubles. These centerpieces are followed by Muses Lost and Found, a collection of short stories following various genres ranging from the farcical, as described in A Wake for Willie Horse, to a personal journey in California Dreaming, and then the sublime as depicted in Hitching a Ride with Lazarus. You cannot read A Patchwork of Prose and not be affected by the stories and their characters. An engrossing series of scenarios giving a rich, multilayered reading experience.