Appropriately titled, “Six Great Short Stories” is a unique work that encompasses the wit and wisdom of Robert Michael de la Torre in his creative approach to the ancient art of storytelling.
It begins with Always Walking Barefoot, a simple story about the childhood friendship of a ten-year-old boy, Ben, and a girl, Freida, as they engage in mischief in a country setting, not unlike a Huckleberry Finn world. Written in the third person, with a noticeable lack of dialogue, the story places you in grassy fields, alongside old train tracks, rolling down bumpy dirt roads, and dealing with decisions made by children when the supervision of a adult is out. of the city for business. Naive to the dangers that lurk in the world, Ben and Freida manage to create their own reality by being who they are: good people who do not seek to hurt anyone. Being young and innocent, they avoid dangers that may have been present. I think the message here is that while “bad people” exist, if you’re good to all people in an honest way, most people will be good to you: we all have many aspects of our values and integrity.
Six Great Short Stories” continues with a well-developed Captain Lime, “Shiver-me-timbers” pirate story intertwined with dialogue of epic proportions set in the humid days of 1576. Beginning with a shipwreck, this story takes you on an adventure like Johnny Depp did with Pirates of the Caribbean, progressing so fast it’s like a ride to Disneyland.
Their stories are diverse and imaginative. His style is straightforward, often a bit repetitive in articulating character names rather than using pronouns, but that’s his “signature.” Each story begins with a very intriguing clue and builds character development quickly.
Each story has its own voice and as such is written in a modified galley text format. The interesting design of his work lends itself to enjoyment of the book, having a large font size with different fonts, making it a joy to look at. Robert M. de la Torre takes a casual approach to his presentation, more reminiscent of personal manuscripts than mass-produced literature. I found his original work intriguing and entertaining in every way. His short story, Jack Sleeping in the Park, was so kind and loving that I felt the author’s feelings were revealed. Having half a dozen unobtrusive stories makes this a good book to take with you on the go, or keep by your nightstand, where you can pick up, finish a story, and take a break. Although the “next story” is upon you so quickly that you may need to postpone your “break” until the end of the book. Bravo Robert, “Six Great Short Stories” is like half a dozen roses. We are eagerly awaiting the sequel, “Six More Great Tales.”
