Parcel #1: A Review by Ally Nicholl

The first thing you’ll notice about Parcel is that it looks and feels gorgeous. The creators have clearly put a lot of effort into making it an enjoyable reading experience, with artwork by Jaclyn Mednicov and stylish design work by Justin Runge. Looks aren’t everything of course, but fortunately editor Kate Lorenz has also compiled a strong range of short fiction and poetry in this first volume.

There are many standouts, but one of my personal favourites is ‘Little Twister’ by Jeffrey Koterba. Already critically acclaimed for his non-fiction and political cartoons, Koterba proves equally adept at fiction with his debut piece in which the narrator reminisces about a childhood craze for catching tornadoes in jars; harnessing nature and trying, largely without success, to tame it. Other highlights include ‘Pancakes Are For Television Boys’ by Kirsty Logan and some fine poetry from Daniel Coudriet, Christopher Salerno and Matthew Nienow.

A vein of fantasy runs through many of these stories. In Anthony Luebbert’s ‘The Minor Fall’, main character Brett Oxley is mysteriously sent a list of every sin he has committed to date, while the enchanting ‘Recognizable Constellations and Familiar Objects of the Night Sky in Early Spring’ by Pamela Ryder adds a cosmic twist to its familiar scenario of a woman being contacted by the care home taking care of her father.

Others stay grounded in the real world, but still tell their tales in an interesting way. In ‘The Escape Artist’ by Susan McCarty, a woman is all set to get back with her ex when he reveals he has cancer. The story follows her attempts to deal with this, and her gradual realisation that she can’t. It’s painfully honest and sad but never resorts to mawkish sentiment, and the use of second person perspective adds another layer of discomfort as the reader is put directly into her position.

It’s common for the quality to be variable in compilations of any sort, but the standard of writing in this collection is high throughout. There were a few stories and poems that didn’t appeal to me as much as others, but this was more down to personal taste. J.A. Tyler’s ‘Kill Yourself (II)’, for example, is an odd piece about an old man with mice in his farmhouse and a child who is clearly in love with him. Though not one of my favourites, it manages to be simultaneously unsettling and sweet. I also found the use of repetition in Michael Martone’s experimental story ‘Test Pattern’ annoying at times but it is an interesting fusion of science and art, minute technical detail and fanciful imagery.

This is a great first issue, stylish and brimming with quality literature. The inclusion of art work in the centre (to be provided by a different artist in each issue) is an inspired touch, and another reminder that sometimes a digital download just doesn’t compare to the experience of reading a printed volume.

Parcel #1 is available here.

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Follow Ally Nicholl on Twitter @coulterscandy.