By Diane Donovan

Eternal Damnation: Stories builds themes based on shifting perspectives about reality, history, human affairs, and life's meaning. Each story cultivates both philosophical reflections and extraordinary experiences and observations that include unexpected pivot points. These reflect each character's observation of either eternal damnation or life satisfaction that makes choices worthy of taking risks.

The title story that opens this collection reviews a boy's candid observation that while his family dutifully attends church, nobody really believes in god. An impromptu ball game after church leads the narrator to exact an unexpected revenge for years of bullying - only to realize that his action on this particular day could be a sin worthy of eternal damnation. Still, was it worth the pleasure of revenge?

This contemplative piece is followed by "Whiteout," in which the narrator takes a trip down memory lane to 1953, when he was twelve, to review the source of events that would ripple into 2001. Fifty years later, in 2004, he recalls the blizzard that changed everything when a perspective and illusion was cultivated that challenged reality itself, as well as the progression of civilized society:

I heard the first hint of the catastrophe that was to become inevitable when reading ended and television took over. Television would pander to the population with its trillions of small betrayals that would make the catastrophic betrayal, in September of 2001, invisible to everyone who saw it. Even though they saw it with their own eyes. Or with what had once been their own eyes.

Each short story offers a succinct, hard-hitting, thought-provoking insight into shifts between personal experience and social standards and acceptance. Each reviews the sources of fears, phobias, and illusion in a different way. Another example of this powerfully disparate analytical focus lies in "Failure," in which the origins of unexplained fears and their growth are explored:

I am happy to be free of my old fear of travel - but I regret that it has been replaced of late by a new and different kind of fear, more deadly than what came before it. This new manifestation is withering, ominous, and all but omnipresent. It comes not from the act of moving from one place to another, as my old fear did, but it comes to me, instead, and it comes from everywhere; from extremely loud noises as much as from midnight's dead silence; from within the very things, objects, and structures, even the feelings, that make up the very stuff of life every second of the day. How ironic it is that now, when I'm able at last to enjoy freedom from my old fear by exposing myself only to small things and tiny distances - how ironic it is that, just now, the world itself has changed in such a way that fear, pain, death, and terror seep invisibly out of every curbstone and crack, every lamp post and fire hydrant, every alleyway and window, every brick, hallway, latch, and door, every screen, every face, every pair of eyes.

The collection represents a vivid literary, psychological, and philosophical inspection of life and its fears, follies, and fiercely diverse influences.

Libraries seeking a wide-ranging literary short story collection highly recommendable to book club and reading groups for its astute observations and insights will find Eternal Damnation powerful in both its disparate insights and in its descriptive language and ability to grasp the pivot points which change individual perspectives and lives.

By Pikasho Deka

Eternal Damnation is a short story collection by Eric Larsen. A young boy gets back at his bully during a baseball game but then worries if he has sinned. A man fondly remembers an encounter with a beautiful young woman from decades ago. On a sunny morning, a man takes a stroll outside to get coffee and returns to his apartment, fully prepared to express his inner rage through his writing. While hanging out with his friends after President Kennedy's assassination, the narrator ponders the duality of existence, with order and chaos prevailing side by side. After striking up a friendship with his dental hygienist, the narrator is proud to see his new friend pulling off a small act of defiance against authority. The narrator chooses silence over being taken as a madman for expressing his beliefs.

With a riveting collection of short slice-of-life stories, Eric Larsen explores different aspects of human behavior as well as social issues that impact the general populace. Drawing from his own life experiences, Larsen presents a captivating collection of tales that paint a colorful portrait of the human experience. The author doesn't shy away from critiquing some of the decisions made by politicians and leaders during the COVID-19 outbreak. Overall, Eternal Damnation is an enthralling anthology featuring stories that are heartfelt, profound, and, at times, thought-provoking. The grounded tone of the narrative makes the book very engaging. Larsen's observations of human nature are authentic and interesting. But what impressed me the most was the author's ability to create an immersive setting and a cast of compelling supporting characters in each story that were unique and almost always memorable. Highly recommended!