Wednesday 29 November 2017

Return of the Dittos - Dale Andrew White



                I had just read a different collection of stories written by Dale Andrew White and found them oddly enjoyable so I thought I would try this collection and see if they would provide the same amount of enjoyment. One of the big improvements over Moe Howard Died For Our Sins is the cover. It’s not a whole lot better but for some reason the image of an old fashioned television caught my eye. It represents well the title story, Return of the Dittos, which is about a sitcom family, the Dittos, who were popular many years ago and now are ready to make a comeback to TV land. The problem is that weight has been gained, plastic surgery has been done and careers have grown tepid, at best. It’s a funny tongue-in-cheek look at where the sitcom stars would be today and their actions with the comeback. It’s hilariously realistic. The Labor’s of Peon examines a grocery store bagboy revolt. Yes, you read correctly. A bagboy revolt. It sounds ridiculous but it is actually quite funny and, again, dare I say a bit realistic.
                It’s this realism that makes Mr. White’s collections so entertaining and wickedly fun to read. They seem insane but there is just a smidgeon of truth to them even if we won’t admit it to ourselves. Some of the stories also made me think about things that have never before crossed my mind. For example, how did Christopher Columbus’s mother react when he told her that he was going to be sailing around the world that she believed to be flat? Mr. White imagines that tongue lashing and so much more about this famous event in the short story, The Last Coronation.
                My only problem with the book was some minor editing, such as the lack of commas in places that really seemed to need them. It’s a minor issue but some of the sentences seemed to run together. Other than that, this is a fun collection of twenty really short stories that will give you a laugh…if you have an odd sense of humour, which I do.
                I read this on my ereader where it formatted well. The cover, as I stated above, is interesting but could still use a little work in order to draw the reader’s eye to it.

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