Five-Carat Soul

James McBride’s 2017 short story collection offers tales that transcend the boundaries of place, time, and even species. In “The Under Graham Railroad,” a shrewd toy collector becomes obsessed with buying a rare train set from a hardworking minister who could seemingly care less about it. In “Mr. P and the Wind,” a zookeeper learns to speak to animals telepathically with disastrous results. And the Five Carat Soul Bottom Bone Band links a series of stories featuring troubled young musicians in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

A veteran journalist by training, McBride must have had countless interactions with and observations of people from all walks of life. Such is the only explanation for this book’s verisimilitude and versatility. The stories contained herein change from humorous to heartbreaking on a dime while avoiding the tonal schizophrenia that this eclecticism often invites. In “Blub,” the title character’s affections for the narrator’s sister come across as laughably awkward at first only to be reappraised as crushingly sincere when later reciprocated. “Mr. P and the Wind” begins with an intriguingly absurd premise – a condescending lion narrates his contempt for humanity whilst confined to a zoo – but evolves into an astute commentary on human nature. Some stories are more gripping than others – and “Mr. P” arguably runs too long while others feel truncated – but there really isn’t a dud in the bunch.

McBride’s mingling of the magical and the crushingly realistic definitely has the potential to test some readers’ patience, but there is no denying his knack for storytelling.

8/10