Late Lights by Kara Weiss

Hardly a year goes by that I don't mention in one of my reviews how much I enjoy short stories, and even more so, interconnected short stories, such as Jennifer Haigh's News from Heaven, which I read earlier this year. The stories in Kim Edwards' The Secrets of a Fire King has stuck with me for years. Much of my enjoyment of Edwards' stories stemmed from their focus on people inhabiting the fringes of society. Given this personal proclivity, there was almost no chance of me not enjoying Kara Weiss' Late Lights, which she describes as "a novella-in-stories." The stories in Late Lights center around three friends whose lives have gone in very different directions.

The stories in Late Lights are harsh and jarring, often dealing with subjects that I knew little about, such as, the day-to-day experiences inside a juvenile detention center. Weiss' writing has a sense of urgency, as though she is pleading with her readers to understand her characters.

Late Lights was a very quick read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys short stories.