Of Reality and Dream by Loredano Cafaro is a collection of short stories. Each tale has peculiar narratives the author wrote as a youth. However, his inexperience at the time didn’t rob the stories of considerable literary sophistication as they incorporate both realistic and fantastical settings and happenings. They are also narrated from different points of view ranging from the first person to the third person.

Many of Cafaro’s stories have an eerie note that expertly relays an uneasy feeling to the reader. It’s not so much that it will leave you awake at night but it’s just enough to creep you out considerably. Also, Cafaro clearly has a way with words as his ability to describe scenes and entities exemplifies the proficiency of a skilled poet. Flash fiction requires sharp and punchy language and the author duly delivers. To do this, he uses striking analogies to eliminate extra words that would have been required to perfectly describe certain scenarios.

The short stories are dominated by themes of love – the love that never was and the painfully short-lived one. Cafaro also centers some of his tales around tragedy and the pain of losing a loved one. Each story carries an air of mystery that’s just strong enough to keep you turning the pages. Be warned, however, that not many of the tales would give you answers even at the end. In such situations, Cafaro leaves you at the mercy of your imagination.

I thought some of the stories were a bit bland. But on the whole, it’s a nice read if you’d like to have your fancy tickled by short narratives structured like musings with tinges of dark tones.

Pages: 71 | ASIN: B07RTTKXJN