In our third and final book review of June, we are proud to share Kathryn Ordiway’s review of Teresa Milbrodt’s magical new collection, Instances of Head-Switching, out today from Shade Mountain Press. As Ordiway introduces the collection, “The fantastical marries with the familiar, the magical with the mundane.” Read on:
In Teresa Milbrodt’s Instances of Head-Switching, the fantastical marries with the familiar, the magical with the mundane. The Greek gods roam the streets seeking new PR campaigns, taking stances on whaling, and of course playing the field. Snow White settles into domesticity after she and her Prince (turned king, turned commoner) lose their throne. A pack of unicorns is sought out for a soap commercial; a sphinx acts as one part guard dog, one part therapy animal. There are heads for switching and marbles to eat and fathers trying to float away.
Disability and disenfranchisement are regular themes in this collection. Often, these protagonists are met with the too common trial of choosing how they can sacrifice themselves for a livelihood and how much sacrifice they can take.
