Winged Creatures is the startling and intimate story of six survivors of a gun massacre. Hidden under a table, teenagers Anne and Jimmy watched as the gunman indiscriminately murdered Anne’s father and others, then himself. Struggling to understand her father's death, Anne experiences a virulent religious conversion. Jimmy ceases to speak, protecting a secret that he and Anne share until it nearly destroys him and his fractured family. Charlie, a barely-wounded driving-school teacher, attempts to make his incredible luck work for him at the casino. Carla, the restaurant cashier, loses her ability to take care of herself and her infant son. Ron Abler, a psychologist, attempts to help the survivors, but is met with suspicion and little response. Dr. Laraby, an ER physician who failed to save two of the victims, turns to his wife as someone to “save.” Driven by secret torments and dangerous compulsions, they each struggle to regain their trust in the ordinary world.
Six people traumatized by a random shooting in a suburban restaurant react in very different ways. Young teenagers Anne and Jimmy hid together as the gunman killed Anne's father. Anne tries to give the horror meaning through religiosity; Jimmy stops speaking. Charlie, slightly wounded, unwisely decides he should take his good luck to the casinos. Carla, stunned, stops coping with her colicky baby, and Dr. Laraby, the ER doc who couldn't save the victims, starts doctoring his wife in a dangerous way. No one wants to talk to poor Ron Abler, the trauma counselor. Dion Graham tends to perform in phrases rather than sentences. It sounds fine but rarely serves the author's meaning. Still, the well-plotted story and vivid writing will pull listeners through. B.G. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly...
“[A] stark, impressive debut….While emotionally charged, the narrative isn’t weighed down with sentiment as the characters search for, but don’t necessarily find, closure.”
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