Reviews
“Scotellaro has a unique style and that’s a good thing. I found myself reading his Flash stories and speeding up as I read. It wasn’t my reading–it was his writing that drove me careening down and around verbal hills of inventive dialogue and situations to endings that surprised and satisfied. His story openings draw you in to his world and don’t let you go. There are stories in this collection that will be with me for a long time–maybe always and that’s not an ability that all writers have. Do yourself a favor and enter Scotellaro’s world.”
—Paul Beckman, author of Kiss Kiss
“The very brief stories of Measuring the Distance reward readers far beyond the word count or accumulation of pages. Scotellaro is a master at condensed character development. He populates his stories with unexpected folks in expected situations, expected characters in unexpected situations, and, best of all, unexpected characters in unexpected situations. Scotellaro’s characters lift these stories well beyond the reach of their seemingly small moments of revelation, from a gang member checking a color swatch to couples long past the point of passion to parents and children getting to know each other all over again. Readers should measure the distance between what these stories seem on the surface and what they reveal in their depth. I strongly recommend this collection for a quick first reading and much more careful returns.”
—John Sheirer, author of Growing Up Mostly Normal in the Middle of Nowhere
“I knew just from the contents pages that I was going to enjoy this collection: ‘Revelation at IHOP’, ‘Tuxedo Epiphany’, ‘Twelve Collapsing Faces’, ‘Mr. Nasty’, ‘A Fork in the Neck’, ‘Pretzel Girl’, ‘Hubba-Hubba’, ‘Dirty Eyeballs’, ‘King of Mastication’… I could go on.
“The flashes didn’t disappoint. They are original, amusing, tender, poignant, dark, thought-provoking – deeply enjoyable. Scotellaro is a flash genius.”
—Ashley Chantler, co-editor, Flash: The International Short-Short Story Magazine
“Scotellaro’s collection is diverse in tone, subject matter, and perspective. The reader never knows what to expect. Clown cars. Blind baseball. Dark dining (what the?). Scotellaro writes fearlessly, in a narrative voice that is unique. He scats, he glides, he halts, he slides. It is jazzy, pure, rhythmic, and hip. Scotellaro clearly fears neither critics nor the ghosts of fifth grade English teachers. He writes what he hears, and the reader reaps the rewards. And these stories are full of humanity. They have substance, style, flavor, and wit.”
—Jon Sindell, author of The Pugilist Poets of Venice
Measuring the Distance
- Paperback: 110 pages
- Publisher: Blue Light Press (2012)
- Finalist for the da Vinci Eye Award
- Honorable Mention for the Eric Hoffer Book Award for Excellence in Fiction.
Read an interview about the book [from Boston Literary Magazine]
“Every story in Measuring the Distance starts with a bang and never lets go of us. I read right through the book, led on from amazement to amazement.”
— X. J. Kennedy, author of Dark Horses and Cross Ties:Selected Poems
“Measuring the Distance grabbed me with its first line—”‘You can keep the frogs,’ my ex says”—and never let go. I was a thoroughly willing prisoner. These sparkling flash fictions pulse with heart and humor, presenting a vision of life and love that is as skewed as it is realistic—and above all, supremely entertaining. If there’s any justice—Are you listening, literature gods?—this gem of a collection will garner the wide readership it so richly deserves.”
—Tom Hazuka, Editor, Sudden Flash Youth; Flash Fiction; You Have Time for This
“I found myself laughing so hard while reading this book that I almost choked to death on a blackened tuna sub. True story. Robert Scotellaro’s never lost his goofy, kid’s-eye-view of the world, so that no matter how sticky or noir-ish a situation he dishes out (and many would make Charles Bukowski proud), he somehow manages to rescue his characters by hitching a zip-line between Steve Martin’s sad-sacky shtick and the Marx Brothers’ exquisite timing.”
—Richard Peabody, Editor, Gargoyle Magazine
“From a homeless man stealing sugar, a mime with a gun, crazy Uncle L and a daughter’s drunken Skype, to the stunning, aching perfection of “One Better Than the Next,” Measuring the Distance is the work of a master storyteller. Our favorite collection of 2012.”
—Boston Literary Magazine
“Through precise diction and often hilarious narrations, Robert Scotellaro does in two pages what other authors can’t do in hundreds. His writing is a profound journey through awkwardly human situations. With impeccably described details, the destination gives way to deeper introspection about the way we live. Scotellaro’s ability to skillfully combine complexity with concision proves he is a master of flash fiction.”