Alexis Alland

Montage: a Collection of Stories and Poems Alexis Alland

It's happened to anyone who drives: a person honks a horn at you; or maybe someone extends a middle finger in your direction. Your reaction, however, can have enormous consequences. Just as the road can be a place of unpredictability, the search for love can also yield unexpected results. The unanticipated-and how we deal with it-is central to the provocative stories and poems in Montage. In "The Rush Home," a husband speeding to be with his wife causes an accident that forever changes his life. And in a series of stories, two college writers, Jack and Leslie, become best friends. But when Jack tells Leslie that he's smitten with another girl, he has no idea that his confession will result in his best friend revealing a secret of her own. The poems in Montage explore the raw beauty of love and friendship. In "Lina," Alland writes: She was a flower, taken by the next season. Her color was vivid beyond any reason. Her scent was soothing; it could put you to sleep. Her petals were perfect; you'd want them to keep. Open yourself to a glorious Montage of stories and poems that will expose life's uncanny unpredictability.