Critical Mick

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American Cool
by Susan DiPlacido
iUniverse, 2007

Mad One

Whether they be caught in amber or caught touching the monkey, a rabble of short stories have been studied and reviewed on criticalmick.com. Some of this unfortunate assemblage of villains have left one hand screaming as the other commits murder etouffee. A few tales have been so uplifting as to make Mick think that heaven lies about us.

The time has come to crown the best. Susan DiPlacido's 2007 collection American Cool contains the award-winning short story "I, Candy." This delicious little nugget stands among the best in recent American literature- and it's a lot more fun to read.

I am not messing. Nor exaggerating.

In twenty-two perfectly worded pages, "I, Candy" captures the essence of what it is to be a beta dog surrounded by alphas. At 37, Marie is professionally successful. She has her freedom and long-standing friends. She drives a Dodge Viper. The newbies in the office kiss up to her, and she's an excellent tipper. But what are these truly worth? What's missing in her life?

Marie decides to make two big changes- no hints will be given to their nature, but with a sharp turn of the head everyone in her world swiftly notices. There's a twist at the tale's close, and neon-bright portraits of modern social interactions. In completely accessible prose, "I, Candy" invites readers to examine their world. Having returned to this story five times since 2004, I can't stop looking.

"I, Candy" hits many of DiPlacido's twenty-first century themes: Wealth and its Accountace. Singleton Anxiety. Sexual Tension. Booze. Baseball. "Neon Nights," the short that opens American Cool, rolls these dice and wins with a different combination. Lana Rossi is a high-rolling gambler on a winning streak that is already becoming Las Vegas legend. But is this big win enough to erase the debt of her gambler father's fatal inheritance? Can she check out before luck inevitably does? Do moneybags balance out the weight of obligations that wait on the East Coast? And what good is a comp'ed luxury hotel suite, if there's no one to share the bed?

Plus: Lana Rossi gets in a catfight with a hooker! Hot stuff.

"Bloodlines" explores the relationship between an awkward young girl and the uncle who everyone condemns as a hoodlum. Uncle Dean seems great to Paula and little brother Ricky: he buys them ice cream, teaches her all about sports- and how to gamble on them. How to keep track of everyone's bets in a small spiral notepad. Paula rides along, and observes how those debts are settled. Uncle Dean always bullies off his scary friends when they make advances on her, and fills a need left by her parents' absence. Together she and Uncle Dean slowly restore a beautiful black 1969 Barracuda and floor it toward an inevitable collision.

DiPlacido covers gamblers, thieves, outcasts and lonely, horny hearts in twelve stories. A strong sense of the 1980's keep recurring, as well as the bonds of family and the glitz of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. There are also some more unusual recurring images and themes. Diamonds- whether actual gemstones, the suite of playing cards, or baseball diamonds- appear in most stories. I guess they are one girl's best friend, at any rate.

Stronger yet, a surprising number of stories involve an injury to the leg. In "Neon Nights" a drunken Lana Rossi stumbled while climbing from the limousine and skins her knee. In "Bloodlines" a lecherous friend of Dean's has a wrench bombed against his shins for ogling Paula's budding bod. Baseballs, bees, and liposuction all cause leg pain in additional tales. Why leg damage? Is this like Robert Olen Butler's Severance, only further south? DiPlacido's theme makes me limp around in a circle, scratching my non-decapitated head.

Some of the selections didn't appeal to me. American Cool closes with a short of the same name, exploring relations and reputations in the teen scene of the 1980's. The bad decisions made by its characters held no surprises for an ordinary reader who survived that hard upbringing. All short story collections mix gravel with their diamonds- I am glad to report that the winners outshine the granite.

Zombentino!!!

Critical Mick says: Madone! Here's hoping that Susan DiPlacido's forthcoming novel, House Money, will include the criminal thrill of "Bloodlines" and "Beyond the Sea" with the lit quality of "I, Candy" and the heat of "Neon Nights."

Susan DiPlacido's voice is spicy with Italian-American slang. A brief primer:

Susan DiPlacido is American Cool!

Read Critical Mick's February 2009 interview with Susan DiPlacido

Yo! This review and all content on the DFA Guide site are copyright 2008 Mick Halpin. All links to other sites and documents are copyright to whatever source wrote something cool enough for Mick to give it a referral. Try to claim them as your own work and bad karma will catch up with you, baby. Believe it.

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This Page Was Last Updated On 28 February, 2009.