Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese

He saw himself dead upon rising in the morning. A box need not be ordered. It was built in. [pg 92)


Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese
Wheatmark, 2007
Fiction (ss); 134 pgs

Just over a month ago I came across a review of this book by Heather at Errant Dreams Reviews and knew I wanted to read Mathias B. Freese’s short story collection, Down to a Sunless Sea. I had already placed the book in my shopping cart at Amazon.com when I received an e-mail from the author offering a copy of his book if I would review it on my blog. Now that I’ve said that he’s probably wishing he had waited a little longer before contacting me.

What drew me to this particular book was the description of it as a book that “plunges the reader into uncomfortable situations and into the minds of troubled characters.” That and the fact that the author is a social worker. The description on the back cover is true to its word; the stories are in fact ones that offer glimpses into the human condition and are at times disturbing, each one shining a light on someone’s life, revealing truths that many of us can relate to on some level—even if we do not want to admit it.

The story that most struck a personal chord with me was “Billy’s Mirrored Wall” about a boy growing up, at first indifferent to the class difference between he and his friend, Billy, as they play ball and have fun together. Later in life, perhaps in part because of his mother’s own insecurities, such differences became more obvious. I think back to my own childhood and being a part of a lower middle class family with our second hand clothes and toys while my playmates had all the latest toys and wore name brand clothing. At the time it didn’t bother me, however, it did bother my parents, who could not help but compare themselves to our neighbors, wishing they could give my brother and me more than they were able. It wasn’t until I was older that I had a better understanding of how my parents viewed the situation. To children it did not matter so much but to adults it made a world of difference.

Another of my favorite stories was “Alabaster.” I happened to be reading this particular story during my lunch break at work, which was probably not the best place to be at the time. The story touched me deeply, and I had to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. A holocaust survivor reaches out to a nine-year old boy. Their meeting is brief and while the boy does not quite understand what the moment meant for the older woman, he does know it was somehow significant for both of them.

Each of the fifteen stories in Down to a Sunless Sea take the reader into the hearts and minds of the characters, each one a case study, each one unique. Nicholas does not think much of school while Adam struggles against his fears. There is the frustrated and angry boy who just wants to be normal as well as a man who has trouble committing. The reader enters the mind of a dying man and walks in the shoes of a man suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The author touches on topics such as fear, apathy, hate, and frustration. While each of the characters the author writes about is wrapped up in their own lives, the characters in the periphery play just as important a role. We are influenced by our friends, children and parents as well as by our experiences. Such influences can affect the direction our lives take and the decisions we make. This comes across in nearly every story.

Mathias B. Freese writes beautifully. His wry sense of humor comes through in his writing, but this is not a funny book. The author deftly captures the raw emotion that flows from the pages, and I could not help but to empathize with the characters, . It is complex and haunting, just as it should be.

Rating: (Very Good)


You can learn more about the author by visiting his blog.

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