Sometimes Cruel: Short Stories

This title is best described in the Kirkus Review that follows: "A collection of stories illuminates Koubourlis' travels, beliefs, and experiences with love and pain in this memoir. Buried within the self-described "eclectic" author and academic's collection of intimately autobiographical stories are the truths that have made him "fortunate in many respects." The physical violence he and his brother endured at the hands of his punishing father, whom he dubs "my family's beater-in-chief," inspires the difficult opening story ("The Beating"), in which he describes the abusive episodes that occurred with regularity throughout their youth and the "profound effect" it had on them both, mostly in the form of "undesirable cultural baggage" carried into and throughout early adulthood. Despite this enduring trauma, Koubourlis remains compassionate and forgiving, openly admitting that he is "incapable of holding a grudge." Instead, he offers absolution and exoneration with descriptions of the negative effects of war and his father's own childhood status as an orphan as probable explanations for his parents' harsh, stern child-rearing style. A series of "first-times" lifts the collection with vivid history and a touch of levity as the author shares experiences such as the first awakening of his consciousness (at age 3) when Italian biplanes bombed his Greek city in 1940. Other firsts include the discovery of his very own toy balloon, which he excitedly discovered at the beach. His first experience with youthful, unbridled, amorous infatuation in his hometown of Rio-Patras in 1953 is also luminously realized. The stories progress to the 1970s: in "Ephemeral Fame," which takes place when Koubourlis was a young (and homesick) university professor in North Carolina, he reconnected with a favorite childhood musician who, by happenstance, was performing at a Greek restaurant in Chicago. The love of a stray cat in the resonant and sentimental "A Message from Afar" ends up inspiring a deeper connection between the author and his female companion, Lena. Other stories have more contemporary settings yet still enchant as Koubourlis strums a guitar melody to a garden snake before concluding with a lyrical meditation on the messages found in dreams. The collection's strength lies in its diversity. The stories move from early incidents of scarring pain and sadness to memorable experiences with love, animals, partnership, music, and death. The author takes care to embed his opinions and seasoned perspective into each story, framing and informing them with personal insights and life lessons, all placed in historical context; "My First Memory" describes the harrowing bombing of his hometown in "war-soaked Greece" at the opening of World War II and how the citizens of the area scattered in horror. Koubourlis also offers considerations of the nature of evil, the dynamics of "what a civilized society should be," and our propensity to cater to the forces of outside control. Thoughtful, lucid, and emotionally aware throughout, this assemblage of cathartic stories is a powerful testament to memory and meaning, written with passion, intensity, dark humor, frank honesty, and immense heart. A memoir in stories contextualizes the author's striking experiences throughout his adventuresome life." -- Kirkus Reviews