On "Baby's Breath" by Jason Kapcala (7370 words) ***

The film Out of Sight, a seemingly commercial vehicle for George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, starts, as I recall, with a scene of Clooney throwing his tie on the ground as he leaves an office building. It seems to have little to do with what comes after, except . . . an hour or so later, we see that scene again, and the meaning becomes clear. We were watching the future, and we didn't even know it. Such is the genius of Steven Soderberg.

Jason Kapcala's story uses a similar technique. That moment, in prose, takes on the aura of a memory, something vaguely familiar, and it works well here, because the story is about a summer job right after high school, before heading off to college. For me, this time in my life was one of great hope and longing, and of endless disappointment. The narrator here, working at a nursery (for plants, not babies!), goes through some of the same emotions, largely caused by one coworker. All the characters in this piece seem spot on. A good read is to be had, here, at Summerset Review.