A Matter of Souls, Denise Lewis Patrick
Carolrhoda Lab, April 2014
Reviewed from final copy

Whenever I review a book, I try to remind myself of my personal quirks as a reader. A major one I have is that it usually takes me approximately four-to-eight pages before I feel firmly oriented in a story. This is true regardless of the author’s skill; I don’t know why, but my brain just takes longer to situate itself within a new narrative. And this particular quirk can put me at a disadvantage when I’m reading short fiction. I admit all of this up front so that it’s clear that I’m not the ideal reader for Denise Lewis Patrick’s slim collection of short stories; however, it’s the universal theme of human connection, woven through each page that gave me a way into this book.

Each story in A Matter of Souls examines racism, identity, and humanity. Some of the stories, like “The Colored Waiting Room” use a specific situation—a young girl and her mother in a doctor’s office waiting room—to show the institutionalization of racism, and how a single voice can create create change with a big impact. “Son’s Story” is larger in scope, but ultimately about identity formation. The most unique story in the book, “The Season To Be Jolly” reads like a fairy tale (blended with the Twilight Zone). A young servant girl’s wish to belong is magically granted when, at the end of the story, she finds herself among a choir of black singers. Again the theme of identity is here, wrapped in the familiar beats of a fairy tale. This kind of stylistic playfulness stands out in a collection of mostly solemn storytelling.

Overall, the sentence-level writing is fine—descriptions are particularly vivid—but the emotions and messaging often hit too hard. It’s possible that with the abbreviated pacing of a short story, underlining the themes is necessary, but a bit more subtlety would have gone a long way, particularly in the titular and final story, ”A Matter of Souls,” in which a man must consider his humanity on a slave ship.

In terms of its Printz chances, A Matter of Souls is definitely a longshot with only one star and little buzz, but Carolrhoda Lab has put out some very interesting, award-winning titles in the past few years. Keep this publisher on your radar as they have a great eye for literature that pushes the limits of what we expect from YA. But maybe you’re already a huge fan of Carolrhoda Lab? Or perhaps you’re just a huge champion of A Matter of Souls? Let us know in the comments!