Appropriately titled, “Six Great Short Stories” is a unique work that encompasses the wit and wisdom of Robert Michael de la Torre in his creative approach to the ancient art of storytelling.
It begins with Always Walking Barefoot, a simple story about the childhood friendship of a boy, ten-year-old Ben, and a girl, Freida, as they get into mischief in a country setting not unlike a Huckleberry Finn world. Written in the third person, with a noticeable lack of dialogue, the story places you in grassy fields, alongside old train tracks, rolling down rutted dirt roads, and grappling with decisions children make when supervised by a adult is out out of town on business. Naive about the dangers that lurk in the world, Ben and Freida manage to create their own reality by being who they are: good people who don’t want to hurt anyone. Being young and innocent, they avoid dangers that may have been present. I think the message here is that while “bad people” do exist, if you are nice to everyone in an honest way, most people will be nice to you – we all have many aspects of our values and integrity.
Six Great Short Stories” continues with a well-developed Captain Lime, a dialogue-laced “Shiver-me-timbers” pirate tale of epic proportions set in the wet days of 1576. Beginning with a shipwreck, this tale takes you on an adventure like Johnny Depp did with Pirates of the Caribbean, progressing so fast it’s like a ride at Disneyland.
Their stories are diverse and imaginative. His style is straightforward, often a bit repetitive in articulating character names rather than using pronouns, but that’s his “signature.” Each story begins with a very intriguing clue and builds character development quickly.
Each story has its own voice and as such is written in a modified galley text format. The interesting layout of his work lends itself to the enjoyment of the book, having a large font size with different fonts making it a joy to look at. Robert M. de la Torre takes a casual approach to his presentation, more reminiscent of personal manuscripts than mass-produced literature. I found his original work intriguing and entertaining in every way. His short story, Jack Sleeps in the Park, was so kind and loving that I felt the author’s feelings revealed. Having half a dozen understated stories makes this a good book to take with you on the go, or keep by your nightstand, where you can pick up, finish a story, and take a break. Although the “next story” is upon you so fast that you may need to postpone your “break” until the end of the book. Bravo Robert, “Six Great Short Stories” is like half a dozen roses. We are eagerly awaiting the sequel, “Six More Great Tales.”