I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY, SO I JUST SAID THANKS

Joseph’s collection of short stories features character studies rich in Americana.

The book opens on an emotional note with the story “Fishing,” in which a father’s death comes just as his son’s stubborn refusal to connect reaches its peak. “I Didn’t Know What To Say, So I Just Said Thanks” paints a compelling portrait of a precocious, enigmatic young man named Lonnie whose tenderness becomes apparent only long after he is gone. “Southern Hospitality” considers the nuances of Southern culture as it details the budding love between a young waitress and a man perpetually on the run. The collection broaches larger social themes, with stories depicting such figures as a meticulous, levelheaded gas station owner who keeps his business afloat despite the virulent racism he faces (“Orville’s”) and a Mexican American border patrol officer grappling with guilt (“The Border”). While the stories are wide-ranging and generally well crafted, it is the characters, rather than the narratives they inhabit, that give the work substance. The pieces gathered here are best described as character studies, offering nuanced considerations of individual personalities scattered across the nation. Many are poignant and rich with humanity; however, some of the stories are hampered by a lack of forward momentum. The author struggles to provide distinct voices for his varied cast of characters, and the writing at times feels repetitive; in “The Clothes,” the narrator circuitously says, “He just made me feel good, and I felt good, genuinely good, for the first time in months. I didn’t know why, but I felt good.” It is in this same story, however, that the work operates at its highest level, gesturing toward truths that only lived experience can unearth: “At times like this,” a grieving son admits, “younger brothers don’t want their big brother. They want what they’ve lost, and that’s a parent.”

Atmospheric stories, sometimes unfocused but with moments of piercing insight.