It is clearly with no small amount of affection that Tim Adams presents this collection of short stories by his late good friend Trey Meade.  I enjoy short stories a great deal, and the more cerebral the better; these are sublime.  Trey was an absolutely superb writer, from a tender age, too.  Even in the heat and horror of the Vietnam War, this veteran was waxing lyrical and philosophizing with a maturity, class and cultural refinement way beyond his years.  His prose is exquisite at times, and it is fair to say that, while I don’t know what Tim does for a living, he could absolutely have made a career for himself as a literary agent, with such a tremendous eye for creative talent – not to mention his dedication and determination in bringing this volume to print.

Trey doesn’t just describe, he envelopes; doesn’t just narrate, but immerses himself in your mind.  The stories are primarily slice-of life, and range from the mundane to the mental, to the horrific.  They are mostly, though not all, based around Trey’s experiences in his two tours in Vietnam, including snapshots of life before and after – three acts, if you like, similar in premise to those of The Deer Hunter: the anticipation, the reality and the aftermath.  It is awful to see the effect of war on the young mind: the confusion and terror in the midst of battle, the mental collapse at such sheer psychological exposure, but in many ways worse – and I have read this so many times in my work – the despicable reception they received when back “home”.  I enclose that word in quotation marks in context with Trey’s own attitude toward the country he grew up in; the veterans who retired Stateside faced such appalling judgment and ostracization there is no way they could consider it home anymore.  It is devastating to read of their treatment, and no matter how many times I do so, in however many books submitted, I can never bring myself to understand or forgive their fellow countrymen who subjected them to it, on their behalf.  All of this is conveyed with wisdom, guttural passion and brutal honesty; Trey hates now, and it is easy to see why.

This is by no means easy reading, nor is it entertainment for the masses.  It is intelligent and thought-provoking.  It is also superbly able and brilliantly written.  I would love to see more from Trey, but alas I suspect there is little available, though he was obviously a prolific and dedicated writer.  I feel we are just very, very lucky that he had a friend like Tim to share his excellent stories with the world.