We Bury the Landscape by Kristine Ong Muslim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What can you do with a couple hundred words? Create worlds, present dreams, crush a heart – a lot, in short, and you need only look at Kristine Ong Muslim’s remarkable collection of ekphrastic micro pieces. Each short fiction/prose poem/dream element is based on a work of art, and this makes for a great reading experience. Read the words first and view the art in a different light; see the art first and realize how rich the words become. Some pieces are complete narratives, others have no plot but evoke atmosphere and emotion. My favorite is “What Better Lure” based on a De Chirico painting, which begins, “A man in a gray suit watches his future unroll”, and ends in hope or regret, depending on how you see it.
Eliza Victoria 