Woodcuts of Women: Stories is a collection of ten short stories by acclaimed author Dagoberto Gilb that explores stories of love, lust, longing, and struggles of life. Gilb utilizes his warm and fuzzy style of writing in crafting haunting tales of poetic beauty that are powerful, hopeful, humorous, and possess great resonance to the reader.
Gilb’s intensive vision of realizing his imagination does not go unnoticed. His stories are tough to stomach as he deals with real-life issues that effectively impact the reader. The confrontation that the author materializes in this collection conditions the reader into facing real-life problems with the utmost bravado.
The narrative is intentionally raw and unrefined to give off an idea of unpreparedness and unpredictability. Gilb’s expressionism is powerful, unique, and simple at the same time, as it strives to be as accessible to more readers as possible. The author also does not forget to pay homage to his Latino heritage by showcasing the best of their culture.
The author makes a special connection between love and lust as he attempts to uncover their undying relationship with one another. The characters in the collection are overtly sensitive and vulnerable, which creates an emotional connection with the reader.
The prose in the collection leaves the reader in great awe while navigating the perfectly constructed words. Gilb’s targeted audience is the common working man as his words are deeply grounded in real-life issues that face a large segment of society. His words lack any form of extravagance or opulence. Woodcuts of Women is an addictive collection that keeps the reader engaged at all times.
