This Book Runs on Denial

A master of the super-short story goes long with a novel of grief and deception.

- MARIELLA RUDI

IN 2008, Venita Blackburn's mother died unexpectedly-and at first, one of Blackburn's brothers refused to tell his daughter, for whom their mother had been an important maternal figure. Whenever anyone suggested he break the news, he would deflect and evade. His way of handling the death shattered his sister. But it also fascinated her. "I know why he did it: You don't want them to feel what you feel right now," she says. "And if you can keep it from them, you can keep it from yourself.” For Blackburn, loss is a pet subject.

She’s a writer with a penchant for the sort of tales that kill the mood at a dinner party, edged with wit and pared down to the bones—her primary form is flash fiction, or very short prose works, usually under 1,000 words. Something of a cult figure in the flash-fiction community, Blackburn writes stories that orbit the them, you can keep it from yourself.” For Blackburn, loss is a pet subject.

She’s a writer with a penchant for the sort of tales that kill the mood at a dinner party, edged with wit and pared down to the bones—her primary form is flash fiction, or very short prose works, usually under 1,000 words. Something of a cult figure in the flash-fiction community, Blackburn writes stories that orbit the themes of youth and friendship, family and duty, sex and care, faith and memory, and that are often set in Southern California dreamlands. This month, she publishes her first novel, Dead in Long