An iffy debut collection of nine stories and a novella: the chip on
the author's shoulder is a tremendous distraction from her natural
style and distinctive voice. An integration of sexuality and sport
infuses these pieces, in which straight characters are, with few
exceptions, evil bigots or mindless glamour gals. Some of the
stories, as well, are just too slight: "The Rescue" is barely a
sketch, its straight woman, Meredith, an easy target; and "Sex Is
an Ancient Practice" lacks any irony or larger context. In the
title story, a frustrated and recently dumped high-school
basketball coach makes a pass at a needy young player in a darkened
gym, and the sympathy appears to be with the coach; at the very
least, the unsettling questions of the student's age and the
coach's position of authority are glossed over. "Under the Cabana,"
with its not-yet-realized-lesbian heroine, suffers from a coy
suggestiveness, while "The Pass" has the opposite problem - an
overstated case. High spots do emerge, however: In "The Night Danny
Was Raped," a clever stylistic technique - a core sentence is built
upon - is woven through a fully fleshed-out narrative with a vivid,
believable protagonist. But "The Place Before Language," the
concluding novella - about a summer ranger on Mount Rainier who
discovers an affair between fire-lookout chief Elise and Barbara,
the wife of the Ranger Supervisor - reverts to a
lesbian-against-the-elements subtext that's by now worn thin. In
the end, the connection between athleticism and lesbianism -
Bledsoe's central focus - seems a forced and tenuous stretch.
Bledsoe has the tools to write for an unmodified general audience,
but here her subject matter holds her back to alienating - and
limiting - effect. (Kirkus Reviews)
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