We Might As Well Light Something On Fire

Reading Ron MacLean’s "We Might As Well Set Something on Fire" was like discovering a great radio station where every song felt like a hit in a different genre: indie rock, country, Finnish rockabilly, blues, pop, and rootsy ballad – and then learning that the songs were performed by one band and that the individual tracks all fit together into a big, beautiful kaleidoscopic whole.If the stories were food they’d be tapas – small plates of deliciousness – savory, vinegary, sweet, spicy, each complimenting and building on the flavors of the previous.If they were postcards, they’d feature images of historical battlefields, 24 hour diners and Canadian beaches. Some would be vintage while others would feel as if they were printed in the future. On the back would be sharp, sometimes funny, sometimes haunting observations of the world written by a gimlet-eyed friend.MacLean’s collection is emotional and truthful and surreal and funny. As tempting as it was to binge, it was much more satisfying to savor a story at a time over a week or two. I loved the stories and love him for playing with and pushing the form of the short story into something new and vital. I can’t recommend his new book enough.

I first heard Ron MacLean at a reading in Cincinnati, Ohio about five years back, and I've been a big fan ever since. A gifted storyteller and a writer's writer, MacLean shows us his range in this collection of stories. From poetic and haunting (River Song) to social commentary served with a big slice of magical realism (What Remains)—there's so much to savor. I can imagine What Remains as a movie, with a gripping back-and-forth between eras, with appearances by progressive politicians from a bygone era (Governor La Follette), told through the point of view of Martha, a modern-day woman who tried to fight systemic injustices from the inside, as an Assistant US Attorney who prosecutes the crimes of corporate god, and fails.A satisfying mix of short pieces and longer, meatier stories—both of which make you think long after the story ends.

Ron MacLean's latest collection of short stories is a fascinating and eclectic mix, sometimes serious, sometimes funny, always thought-provoking. His stories and poetry are often dark and mysterious. MacLean's style is very visual, with skillful use of dialogue, and there is a sense of immediacy to his prose. Reading some of the stories, I felt like I was right there. All in all, "we might as well light something on fire" is a compelling body of work.

Ron MacLean takes what we fail to observe, presents it to us in thought provoking stories and shows us its potential to be something more. I often find new insights on a second or third reading. His descriptive style evokes a feeling of inhabiting his characters. This is a great collection. I have already marked three or four ideas I want to explore further.

Not a single ill-chosen or mis-placed word. All of it uniquely resonant, even if -- and always to the good -- I didn’t always fathom what was happening. And the range of styles, the accomplishment of feeling in such varying styles, the authority everywhere, yeah, "We Might As Well Light Something On Fire" makes MacLean a rockstar.

Ron MacLean is a master of the short story form, and in We Might As Well Light Something on Fire, he is at the height of his powers. The stories in this collection, whether surreal, magical or simply raw, all have a deep emotional core that resonates. These are stories to re-read, and to savor.

This collection demonstrates Ron MacLean's mastery of the short story. The stories are funny, quirky, sometimes weird. I found myself wondering if the rabbit could really talk or if the narrator imagined it. Either way, these stories take you on an unexpected ride--one that's fun and memorable. My advice? Read this book!

Singular and sometimes strange slice-of-life stories. Some are realist, some are realist-adjacent: they comment on our world, but take place in a world entirely their own. All are worthy and deserve close attention.