To be inside Stuart Ross’s head: that would be some display of
synaptic fireworks. Of course, all the oohing-and-aahing grows a little
tired as, paradoxically, the unexpected and absurd becomes the expected
and the accepted norm. What’s he gonna try now, one asks a few times
over the course of these 23 mostly truncated stories. But, like fellow
pop-culture surrealist David McGimpsey, there are plenty of reasons
(stories) for patience, sticking with the forcefully bizarre and
experimental. Reason number one: “Guided Missiles.” The longest and
most structured narrative tells a great story and uses a magical
arboreal metaphor, allowing the author to stay true to his absurdist
roots.
This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 5, 2009.