The Acorn Stories by Duane Simolke is a collection of well-written
and powerful short stories of the inhabitants of Acorn - a
fictional small town in West Texas. Like many small towns, everyone
knows everyone else and their secrets; gossip travels at a greater
speed and causes much more damage in a town like Acorn.
Simolke masterfully presents realistic characters and their
unpleasant battle to not only find acceptance from others, but more
importantly themselves - the reader can sympathize with their
struggles of love, hate, regret and apathy. The dramatic and social
themes - homosexuality, out-of-wedlock pregnancy, elitism -all
conclude with one main lesson: tolerance and understanding are
life's necessities and the façade of "keeping up appearances"
deteriorates it.
4/5