Coquina Soup – Collected Stories by Frances Nevill
Publisher: Bordighera Press
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by AstilbeIn this debut collection of short stories, Florida writer Frances Nevill explores the struggles of women at crossroads, where discoveries of truth and lies unfold and the decision remains to stay or to go. Amongst a multitude of lost characters, this collection is a dose of hope set amongst the iconic backdrop of Florida.
First impressions aren’t always correct.
In “Cloud Cover,” Heather had cold feet on her wedding day and needed to quickly decide if she actually wanted to marry Timothy. I was intrigued by how long she had been wrestling with this question and wondered why she hadn’t made up her mind much earlier in their relationship. The answers to those questions were satisfactory, and I wished her well as she weighed her various options.
There were some tales in this collection that I thought would benefit from stronger character development. For example, Blair’s jealousy over her husband Brad’s friendship with another woman in “Bad Seeing” was overwhelming for reasons I never quite understood. It was difficult for me to determine if I thought she was overreacting or if their friend really did have an ulterior motive for the kind things she did for Brad. Having a deeper understanding of all three of their personalities would have made it easier for this reader to come to a conclusion about who to trust here.
Sevesti returned home to care for her dying mother in “Coquina Soup” only to discover a family secret that had been hidden for decades. I enjoyed the gentle pacing of this one as well as the main character’s reaction to learning more about her family’s mysterious past. It showed me parts of her personality that would have otherwise remained unnoticed, and it made me wish for a sequel so I could find out what happened next.
Coquina Soup: Collected Stories was thought provoking.