In the Debris Field
novella-in-flash
In the Debris Field won the 2018 International Novella-in-Flash Award from Bath Flash Fiction, and was published under one cover with the two runners-up.
PRAISE FOR IN THE DEBRIS FIELD
"In the Debris Field by Luke Whisnant... chronicles the unconventional experiences of a male protagonist from childhood through middle-age. It is a breathtakingly imaginative study of the strangest ways family members will accidentally scar one another. Readers will relax and enjoy the ride, because they’re in the hands of a flash fiction master."
—Judge's Citation, by Meg Pokrass, author of Bird Envy and Alligators at Night
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“Whisnant’s distillation of emotions and memories into strong language and imagery draws the reader in immediately…. These small, quiet tragedies that mark everyday human life are navigated by Dennis, a sensitive boy whose nonlinear memories thread together seemingly random instances that come together as a whole portrait of the pains that quietly mark us throughout our lives, particularly adolescence.... The stories cover specific, disjointed memories.... There is a constant sense of finding and then losing throughout these pieces, as though everyone is in a debris field of their own lives, searching for answers to unanswerable questions or people never to be seen again.”
—AnnaLee Barclay in SmokeLong Quarterly
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“Each individual piece, ranging from a single line or paragraph to a page or two, has the strength to stand alone, but by adding more attuned pieces to the slew, you end up with a distinctly explosive novella form. Quite simply, you get more bang for your buck. This is never truer than with Luke Whisnant’s In the Debris Field….Contained in such small parcels, each tale’s narrative is heightened, summoning the raw emotions of adolescence with soaring skill.”
—Judy Darley, in SkyLightRain
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In the Debris Field cover design: Bath Flash Fiction.
Bath Flash Fiction Interview with Luke Whisnant