Every Awful Thing by S.E. Bourne

S.E. Bourne unleashes her life through language in the standout collection of flash fiction and poetry, Every Awful Thing. 

This collection is an acknowledgment of struggle, a tour de force of vulnerability, and a celebration of life’s arcing flow. There is a gritty, matter-of-fact feel to Bourne’s early pieces, but the tone matures along with the writer as she moves through her own scattered memoir. From her youthful thieving antics and teenage chambermaid duties to Mexican road trips and cigars on the Mag Mile, the first half of this collection sparks with energy and potential in every direction. The flash fiction is unpredictable, yet it juxtaposes beautifully with Bourne’s nakedly honest poetry.

While the storytelling in the second half remains anecdotal and clever, there is more real-time reflection in the narration. “2011 After She Died” is a particularly memorable piece, peeling back the complex layers of a deeply felt loss. “2021 Charles Bukowski“ also stands out, as his influence on Bourne’s poetic voice is clear. Some of the stories and poems strike with less emotional weight, such as the account of the deer on the Golden Gate Bridge, but these are palate cleansers around more layered pieces.

Distilling language in fresh ways, and humbly examining the breadth of her own life, Bourne offers a revelatory confession of well-penned snapshots in this piercing, emotional collection.

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