Short Story Sunday: Trouble by Janelle Brown
Trouble
Series: We Could Be Heroes
Author: Janelle Brown
Narrator: January LaVoy
Published: February 7, 2023
Audiobook: 1 hour 7 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Date Listened To: March 1, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Short Story Description:
What does it take to be a good mother? A good neighbor? Straight answers are hard to find in this keenly observed short story by New York Times bestselling author Janelle Brown.
Polly’s fourth-grade daughter has been spending a lot of time with her classmate Sylvie—maybe too much. Sylvie’s clothes are a little…flashy…and her phone (a ten-year-old with a phone!) doesn’t seem to have any parental controls. It seems that Sylvie’s mother, with her vape pens and her too-high heels, may not be making good choices. As Polly tries to exert a positive influence, she discovers just how little anyone can tell about a family from the outside.
Janelle Brown’s Trouble is part of We Could Be Heroes, a darkly inquisitive collection of short stories that examines heroic intentions versus their real-life consequences. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.
Jessica’s Review:
Oh wow! I really enjoyed this short story. I was not sure where it was going to go, who to believe, and is this child to blame or a victim herself. I can’t say much more than that, and you don’t know the who, what, why, or how, until the very last line!
Trouble was my introduction to Brown, and since I enjoyed it I will be on the lookout for more by her!