Review: Loves and Entanglements by Lewis Bogaty

An intense collection of characters in emotional tumult, Loves and Entanglements by Lewis Bogaty demonstrates the author’s sensitivity to the human condition, and the impossible choices we are so often forced to make.

These thirteen quick-moving vignettes vary in time period, subject matter, writing style, and tone, but are tied together by enticing human drama – desire, disappointment, heartbreak, and possibility. Some tales end with a sudden twist, others with a single powerful line that leaves the emotional weight hanging thick, without resolution, yet still somehow satisfying. Manipulating readers’ expectations and emotions with ease, this collection is a masterclass in storytelling structure and execution.

The narration throughout is vulnerable and revelatory, expressing emotions that are so often left unarticulated, such as the quiet perennial fear of losing your partner to someone younger, or being haunted by a chance you never took. Bogaty’s characters, like his plot-crafting, excel in pushing the suspense of a given scene, leaving readers nervously waiting for a blow to land, or the tension to finally snap. In “Dinner Out,” the scene-setting and narration are particularly sharp, and the carefully crafted awkwardness is good enough to eat: “He asked me what I did. I hated that instantly limiting, defining question.”

In most pieces, very little exposition is given, leading readers to curiously learn on the fly, immersing themselves quickly into the disparate minds of the narrators. “Blue Heaven” is an intimate peek into the scattered psyche of a pregnant newlywed, as she pines for an unwanted past and fears an uncertain future. Exposing our dark and sometimes shameful loops and cycles of internal doubt, these stories are visceral and subtly brilliant. “The Life That He Led” is another standout piece with a gut-punch ending, exemplifying the desperation still running rampant in American society, as well as the dark specter of depression, suicide, and the empty hunt for fame.

Bogaty has a masterful ear for dialogue and pacing in conversation; he can perfectly tune his writing to the timbre of a fight gone wrong, misguided flirtation, or the satisfying release of temptation finally taken. The everyday humanity in these stories is undeniable; these are not celebrities, superheroes, gritty detectives, or sinister villains, but regular people navigating the crucible of existence. Each character is consistently drawn and convincing, evidence of a writer who deeply understands every facet of his characters, but doesn’t judge them from an omnipotent moral pedestal. Capturing the rhythm of thought and reaction with surprising clarity, regardless of each story’s protagonist, Bogaty makes it effortless to escape into each character’s life.

There are some basic technical errors in the writing, such as incorrect dialogue punctuation and pronoun/tense inconsistencies that could easily be fixed. Some of the stories also bury the hook a few pages too deep, relying on dextrous language to keep people engaged, without giving readers a clear reason to invest in the story, so some editorial tightening in certain pieces could improve the flow and impact.

Despite these very minor critiques, this refreshingly revealing collection is hard to fault – a rare short story collection that manages to be a page-turner from one story to the next.