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From
the title, one might think that Santi: The Lives of Modern
Saints was a nonfiction hagiographical text on Roman Catholicism.
But editors Luca Dipierro and Frank Daniels have collected
an astounding array of exquisite short stories that, like
the best religious art, serves to illuminate, transform, and
beatify the beauty that surrounds us in daily life. Think
of Santi as a devotional for the non-religious spiritualist.
The most amazing thing about this collection is that despite
the scope and the fact that Black Arrow is a small press,
each story is as delightful, profound, and meaningful as one
would hope.
Santi
features writers whose works may already be familiar, such
as Don Chaon (You Remind Me of Me), Michael A. FitzGerald
(Radiant Days), Erin O'Brien (Harvey & Eck),
and John Sheppard (Small Town Punk). The book also
features an array of Italian writers whose works are published
in both the original Italian and in translation. It's a little
gimmicky, but it gives the book a different feel. The design
of this book is amazing. Each short story has individually
designed title pages and illustrations, and the paper is cut
rough, making the book feel like a precious item.
The first
story in the collection, Grant Bailie's "Saint Bob," sets
the tone for the book. Bob spends his days plugging sales
figures into spreadsheets, trying to stifle the voices that
speak to him via the hand dryer in the men's room or send
him messages via Mike from IT. The plight of the modern saint
is that seeing the Virgin in his oatmeal is more likely to
be construed as insanity than a genuine sign from God. The
incident with the hand dryers gets Bob written up.
In Claudio
Morandini's "Le Dita Fredde/The Cold Hands," Cyril, the son
of a living saint who has lost his healing powers, has not
told anyone that he has inherited those powers. Cyril has
seen what "sainthood" has done to his father, and he'd rather
not have the burden. When he sees some devout men of the town
leave his home, "[t]hey're alone, I think to myself—God
is with them, but it doesn't look like he's very good company."
But most
of the stories in Santi are not as literal as "Saint Bob"
or "The Cold Hands." In Michael A. FitzGerald's "Ghost Story,"
a young local housepainter falls in love with a European couple,
Lily and Craig. When Anthony, the housepainter, finally kisses
Lily, her kisses remind Anthony of Craig's hips. At different
points, as Lily goes from man to man, both Craig and Anthony
are the ghost in the story, and perhaps the ghost in the holy
trinity. Christina Astori's "Have You Ever" highlights the
confusion and excitement of a teenager named Teresa who suddenly
realizes she has special powers. She wills the cutest boy
in school to ask her to the fair, and she wishes herself an
A in math. When her best friend begins to flirt with that
boy, Teresa wishes that friend would die.
One of
the most disturbing stories in the book is Noria Jablonski's
"The Veil of Saint Veronica." In it, two girls who work at
a movie theater bond over the fact that they share similar
namesakes. St. Veronica is the patron saint of laundry, and
Clare's saint is the patron saint of washerwomen. Veronica
has a crush on Clare, and thinks that Clare's invitation to
join her at the laundromat is a date. Both Clare and Veronica
are very appealing—Clare with her bright red bobbed hair
and 1930s movie star slouch, and Veronica with her klutziness
and humorous observations about the other people who work
at the theater. The girls bond at the laundromat, telling
each other the horrors of their childhoods over clove cigarettes,
and then, as if to put distance between them, Clare insists
they go on a joy ride with two repo men in a Porsche. Clare's
eventual breakdown, and Veronica's devotion to her, are touching
and real.
Erin
O'Brien's "Skywriting with King Tut Down at the Little Egypt"
is a beauty of a story, full of nostalgia for those long late
summer days that seem full of promise and hope, even when
tinged with melancholy. As young protagonist Dolly and her
aunt Phyllis set up their table for Labor Day weekend at the
flea market, the looming specter of the apocalypse hangs near.
The Little Egypt, the drive-in where the flea market sets
up each Wednesday and Saturday, is slated for demolition in
a few days. Aunt Phyllis is a single bohemian woman who lets
Dolly watch R-rated videos when she spends the night. Phyllis's
regular table neighbor at the flea is a colorful character
who goes by the name the King. He wears an Egyptian headdress
and tells outlandish stories while he hawks his wares. It's
the King who gives Dolly hope for the future by telling her
that the Little Egypt is a landmark and can't be torn down.
Of course, readers suspect this may be one of his tall tales.
Like ancient Egypt before the end of the Pharaohs' reign,
the flea market at the Little Egypt is the center of culture
and commerce. The King gives Dolly a valuable gift on what
may well be their last day as market neighbors: the story
of how he got his headdress. O'Brien's way with the dialog
of the flea market vendors and her tender touch with their
oft-hidden emotions allows readers to easily connect with
Dolly and her wonder and sadness about this world that she
loves dearly.
Santi:
The Lives of Modern Saints will leave readers wondering
about the real lives of saints, not the mythical versions.
It encourages people to look for god in the details, be it
one's breakfast or the laundry.
(May,
2008)
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