A NOBODY’S NOTHINGS by Denis Sheehan

Bone Print Press, 160 pages, paperback, $10.00

This self-published fist of short stories and oddball notes was surprising at every bend in Denis Sheehan’s prose. I get the feeling I am reading about ‘80s escapades most of the time, lived by a divorced father of one lovely precocious girl — and then sometimes I don’t.

“Track,” a journal of an alcoholic writer’s hangover spontaneous one-day fitness program, reads like a Meatloaf ballad gone wrong then gone right into its own literary redemption. The bombastic amounts of awkward, unashamed moments of puking sex gone very wrong prompted me to genuinely ask myself, “Will I keep reading?’ several times. Then when I almost give up on the notion of ever feeling unembarrassed, “Brain Scribbles 2” recalls everyday banter with his daughter in a unique and tender way.

All of Sheehan’s brain scribbles are hilarious, acrid, and pungent commentaries that read like a ransom note to other unashamed abrasive individuals. “9 Minutes in a Flophouse,” a twisted hotel story about a woman on hiatus from an abusive relationship looking for a room (and getting more than just a bed to sleep on), is both my favorite and my least favorite story. There are crass undertones of misogyny in this particular short, but in the end I was still surprised and can safely guarantee Sheehan’s story will get reactions from all who read this edgy tale.

A Nobody’s Nothings is grand grab of ideas and stories, but despite Sheehan advising English teachers with red pens to vamoose, he still slacks in the editing department to the detriment of his own love of the writing craft. However, Sheehan is strong and unapologetic about how he sees life, and no matter how much or little is read by this mustang author, it will prick your finger like a wild rose — and then, if Sheehan has any say in it, will wind up as a tattoo on some biker lady’s arm.