Call it What You Want

Written by Keith Lee Morris

Narrated by Kevin Orton, Jeffrey Brick, Tony Ward and 3 more

Critically acclaimed author Keith Lee Morris-who has drawn favorable comparisons to Richard Russo and Richard Ford-delivers a stunning collection of stories. In these unforgettable tales of deep humanity, the flaws and strengths of young men are explored with remarkable clarity. "Morris's prose is polished to transparency and proves surprisingly flexible in terms of tone . marked by quiet authority and beautifully observed moments."-Publishers Weekly

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9781449843670

Reviews for Call it What You Want

[hagelstein_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In Keith Lee Morris's collection of stories, Call it What You Want, the characters are usually in deep, life-changing - or ending - trouble. Often they don't properly realize it. The twenty-two year old who "never really wanted to be anything" numbly testifying in court about the death of his friend, apparently at the hand of another friend. The husband and father who finds a cigarette in his supposedly non-smoking household and becomes indundated with visions of the possible lies and betrayals it represents.One of the most dramatic moments is when a mother who has lost a son to cancer and a husband to possible suicide faces the moment when her surviving younger son asks her to carry him, then implores her when she hesitates. It's a pivotal point in their lives, and at that moment she's a clueless as we are as to what she is going to do as she stands there and looks at him.After Morris gains our trust, the second half of the collection turns surreal. Flann O'Brien surreal. The characters are still lost and in trouble, but the outcomes are no longer clear-cut and may not even be part of this world, or any world that we know. For some characters it's an avenue to death. For others it's not so bad. Two college roomates tear a "fucking hole in the fabric of the universe" with their boredom and take advantage of pleasures they could normally only wish for. Like this collection.