The youngest of three brothers obsessed with tracking a mountain lion in their suburban neighbourhood quietly and majestically unravels. This story is a great read, it has that ability to tighten your chest after only a couple of paragraphs. The dysfunction of the family is perfectly crystalised, and everything is just really good. Until the last few paragraphs, and then I think this story elevates into a perfectly distilled emotional moment, which I have been returning to as a comparison point for certain types of writing ever since. It’s not easy to operate at this level consistently, but I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read from this writer. I hope there is a collection from J L Bogenschneider soon.
Published in The Stinging Fly, Issue 44, 2021, and available to read here
A Personal Anthology 