The Grey Forest - Maureen A. Griswold (Review)

The Grey Forest by Maureen A. Griswold
Genres:  Fiction, Short Story
Publication date: January 25th 2016
Publisher: Smashwords Edition
Format: ebook, 76 pages
How I got it: From Maureen Griswold in order to provide an honest review
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My rating: 4/5
 
Yes, traveler, you’ve discovered

The Grey Forest

You’ve arrived at a crosspoint: a collection of short stories from a parallel terrain of shadow and light, of illusion and truth, of mystery and revelation.

* a Tibetan mandala services the enigmatic, reclusive, son of a Silicon Valley magnate.

* mysterious mental imagery spontaneously appears to young Army nurse.

* a unique U.S. mass shooting poses a special challenge for an iconic gun lobbyist.

* when a foolish marketing letter is mailed to a long-departed businessman, an unexpected, otherworldly, response results.

* for a few predestined moments, an unlikely pair of soulmates find each other.

These and other stories await and beckon. Breathe deep and step into a landscape of twists, turns, and ironies in this collection of tales from The Grey Forest.

..............................................................................

  

My thoughts:

The Grey Forest is a book of short stories.

The first story talks about a son who recently lost his very wealthy father.  The son is a Buddhist who is trying to figure out what to do with his father’s fortune and also wants to continue to practice Buddhism.   The father names the son the same name so he could pass on the legacy.   The ending of this story is great! I think it is unexpected what the son did and the monk seemed scared! 

The second story follows a military nurse who goes from studying to practicing nursing.  The guy she meets along the way deceived her and was married.  It was an interesting read and I love the ending of trust. 

The third story talks about mass shootings and gun control laws.  The story is a very interesting read and ironic.  I enjoyed what the author did with this piece a lot.    This by far was my favorite short story and one that applies to the everyday now. 

The fourth short story talks about a mother and son where the son was paralyzed who visited a shop a bunch to buy some pieces for a collection or browse.  The owner really liked talking to this pair and learned a lot of about the mother and son during their visits.  I think the author did a great job with this story and showing how the owner of the shop found peace.  Also, I think the author did a good job explaining how sometimes after a tragedy occurs people work on it and then sort of forget about it and move on.  The author had great points in this short story.  This story was my favorite by far I could easily relate to the story and found interesting views of the author. 

The firth story is about a Dead Man’s mail which I can completely relate too.  I am not sure why these companies sending mail don’t take the time to see if the person is alive or even living at that address.  This is a quick read that in my mind is very funny!! 

The sixth story talks about the war in Iraq.  This story takes an interesting view based on not everyone supporting the war right away.  It looks at the war based on it going on for one month.  The author does a great job telling a story about a child who was harmed in Iraq and showing that innocent civilians where involved.   It does a great job showing that people can change their opinions.  

The seventh story talks about four high school girls who are not good at sports.  I enjoyed this story I can relate to being uncoordinated when it comes to sports.   

The eighth story talks about a cartoonist who created a fake boy and fake mother.  When the storyteller was at a fair she met the real boy who the fake boy was based on.  He was a Marine serving in Vietnam.  The father and son did not get along in real life and had a bad relationship.  The storyteller took it upon herself to research the pair a few years later and only found that the real boy didn’t attend the father’s funeral.   This story wasn’t really for me, I am not sure why but I couldn’t relate. 

The ninth and final story follows a woman who lost everything when her husband committed fraud at his company.  Her son committed suicide and her husband died in jail.  She was without everything now in the world she loved.  She goes to visit sick children who soon will not be living any longer.  It is in giving these children some of her time she finds what pure love was.  This was an interesting story to read and an interesting perspective the author took. 

I enjoyed reading this short story book.  I would suggest this as a read for the beach, each story gives you a lot to think about and ponder.  Some stories I had to reread since I felt like I wanted to hear it again and see what I missed.  

I would also suggest this as a great book for a book club.  There are so many topics covered and the author takes one approach so it would bring up great discussions. 

I received a copy of this book from Maureen Griswold for the purpose of providing an honest review.  This does not effect my opinion of this book. 

 ..............................................................................

About the Author

Maureen A. Griswold has authored fiction and nonfiction. She resides in northern California.

After serving in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, she returned to her alma mater, San Jose State University, and earned her journalism degree. She was senior editor for the (former) California Nursing Review, a bimonthly magazine for California RNs and eventually worked as a medical writer in the pharmaceutical industry.

More information is available at her website, Facebook, LinkedIn, and her YouTube channel.

Author Links: