Random Acts of Optimism|Alison Wells|Wordsonthestreet
Atmospheric and lyrical stories in a collection unafraid to play with genre—Random Acts of Optimism, by Alison Wells
by Joyce Dignam
Random Acts of Optimism showcases fifteen stories that range from the everyday to the uncanny, each woven together by an overarching theme of hope and optimism in the face of life’s struggles and heartaches.
The recurring themes in this strong debut collection from Alison Wells explore an ever-changing world, the growing demand for adaptation, and the power of community and compassion in the face of life’s battles. The title story, “Random Acts of Optimism” perhaps investigates these ideas most successfully.
The story follows a librarian who sends books to an isolated and recently widowed elderly woman during lockdown and the relationship they develop through small, yet increasingly more poignant phone conversations. Inspired by the author’s own experiences as a librarian during this time, the story serves as a reminder of how seemingly insignificant acts can create a positive domino effect on a person’s life.
On a surface level this story may seem simple but at its heart we are shown that this simplicity can be powerful. This is a compassionate, sometimes funny story, looking at a snapshot from a time of massive global turmoil. For some readers, this story may feel dated, as Covid stories sometimes do, but its well-crafted and touching writing style sets the reader up for what will be an enjoyable collection that deals with similar themes, sometimes in much more surreal ways.
By playing with the surreal or uncanny, Wells asks the reader to look at realist issues through a fantastical lens
In contrast to the title story’s quiet and everyday nature, some stories in the collection verge towards speculative fiction. By playing with the surreal or uncanny, Wells asks the reader to look at realist issues through a fantastical lens. There are stories about a dinosaur take-over and a God going about his day, and in “The Memory Jar” we follow a woman who has just carried out a procedure to have her memories removed, in a story reminiscent of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Wells is clearly not afraid to play with genre, and she is also unafraid to play with form and style; in “The Letter” we are told a story from the point of view of an inanimate object. These kinds of surreal narratives could easily make for a future collection from Wells.
The narratives are short, spanning just a handful of pages. This brevity is often effective, speaking to evocative vignettes of the everyday, if at times the plot can feel a trifle rushed. The writing on a sentence level is exceptionally strong. Wells can craft a striking image with precision, jolting the reader with her vividness. This is perhaps most clearly seen in “Meringue”, a story about a woman caring for her dying mother. “How is it that her powdery skin doesn’t just crumble away like Wensleydale; her frail bones collapse all at once; and the eyes that have burned forever snuff out, trailing wisps of toxic smoke?”
Wells can craft a striking image with precision, jolting the reader with her vividness
The standout stories from the collection are those that embrace this skill of atmospheric and lyrical writing, such as the haunting “Bog Body”, a story about a young girl tormented by bullies. Here, the landscape plays an integral role. It is both a prison and a means by which the tormented can seek revenge. The bog is depicted as a landscape that holds secrets, with years of history compacted into it: “Through time she feels the weight of the bog, the strata of eons pressing upon her, the thin prehistoric cries of the ritually slain, outcasts and villains.” “Bog Body” is a true ghost story that packs a lot of punch into a few short pages.
The characters in Random Acts of Optimism have one thing in common—they each make choices towards a better life, even if that is just to get through a day. The overall message of the book is clear: have belief in a better world and choose to work towards it.
