Author: Mathias B. Freese

ISBN: 978-1-58736-733-5

Mathias B. Freese is an award- winning essayist and author of The i Tetralogy that I had reviewed and which was the 2007 Allbooks Choice Award.

He has been listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who Among American Teachers, A Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers, and the International Authors Who’s Who.

Freese has now put together a collection of fifteen short stories that were previously published in various literary magazines, and as he indicated to me, they are a reflection of the weight of his twenty-five years practicing as a psychotherapist. His hope is that they demonstrate a vivid understanding as well as compassion toward the deviant and damaged.

Freese paints vivid and poignant portraits of a cast of characters who in one way or another suffer from inner turmoil, yet for the most part, we are able to relate to them. Moreover, Freese’s precise writing, his vividly descriptive language and his deep understanding of human nature all make for some very captivating reading as he probes and prods into the inner feelings of his characters.

As an example, Little Errands deals with obsession as Freese relates the story of an individual who is unsure if he had in fact mailed two letters, one concerning the payment of a traffic ticket and the other a partial payment for carpeting. Our narrator is uncertain if the letters were properly placed in the mailbox and continually wrestles with himself, as he states: “I felt sure I had mailed them. I was unsure and uncertain. I’m sure the letters didn’t fall outside the mailbox.” What is noteworthy about this story is Freese does a wonderful job in evoking in his readers the same anxiety as that experienced by his narrator.

In another short story, Nicholas, Freese’s language is imaginative and very convincing where we are reminded about the kid who may have been in our class and who was always picked on by the teacher. The kid who says he may be slow in class but he is not a slow learner. It is just that he can’t do class work, which he finds to be uninspiring and irrelevant. He also questions the individuals running the schools or as he states, “the wrong people are in charge.” And, “Whose the bigger jerk, the teacher who gets paid peanuts or the electrishan who makes $15 or $20 an hour without college?”

In Young Man, Freese deals with death and deftly leads us through the fraught emotional terrain of someone grappling with his purpose in life and coming to the self-assessment with his conclusion: “I can’t be who I am even who I am is a nice guy because anyone who is fully who he is can’t be-and that’s fact. I can only be who I am covertly, never revealing who I am, and masquerading as a fellow struggler with others.”

Freese does not let us forget child abuse, as with Herbie, where he delves into a child’s torments at the hands of his obnoxious father who castigates him for not being able to properly shine shoes and who refuses to let his son open a shoe shine stand on the street after school hours. It is here where Freese’s writing stands out with his impressionistic writing style as he effectively evokes heart-wrenching tears from his readers who can’t help but feel deep compassion for this abused young boy. 

Freese is not afraid to probe the darker corners of our lives and although at times we may feel uncomfortable, we nevertheless value his insights that challenge both himself and his readers. In fact, Freese considers his writing as a therapy. His narrative voices are believable and perhaps that’s what makes his stories all the more painful, and as we all are aware, the truth often hurts. It is also a disturbing reminder of some of the many misfortunes around us that we have come to take for granted.

The above review was contributed by: The Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com, Norm Goldman, B.A. LL.L, Retired Title Attorney: Norm is also a travel writer and together with his artist wife, Lily, the couple meld Norm's words with Lily's art. To check out their travel site click on Sketchandtravel.com   Click here to view Norm’s Reviews & Interviews.

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