A Review: "Pushing Blackness", by A. P.

Original story can be found here


One of the greatest challenges of the short story writer is finding deep meaning in the minutia of life, of capturing those tiny moments that open up a window into the souls of men despite their short duration. It is the writers who can fully encapsulate these defining scenes that create captivating fiction, little snapshots that resonate with the reader long after their few paragraphs have been devoured. Even more challenging is to confine the reader to a single man's thoughts, to convey an entire world through his biased, limited perspective. These challenges are amply met by A. P.'s very short (only a page) but perceptive ficlet "Pushing Blackness".

The setup is simple: a nameless man watches as an airport janitor named Daryl pushes his cart through the crowds, travelling between restrooms with a cart full of toilet paper. This is the only action, and there is no dialogue. The story is concerned only with Daryl's thoughts about the anonymity of his job and his speculation of what, if anything, this nameless man might think of him. It is a story about perception, about how others perceive us, and even more about how we imagine others perceive us, whether we have an overinflated or underinflated sense of our own importance in the minds of others. This point is hammered home in the final paragraph, in which a surprise revelation as to the identity of the narrator casts the entire story in a new light, sharply highlighting the previously hidden message. This masterful twist forces the reader to rethink all the conclusions he has so-far formed, and (if he is self-aware enough) to reconsider what erroneous conclusions he might have formed in his real life as well.

The prose style is conversational, the narrator casually addressing the reader in such a way as to make him a confidant, drawing the reader in. Almost every sentence echoes with Daryl's loneliness and desperation. The emotions are well-conveyed, though some might quibble that their portrayal seems a bit too upfront, lacking subtlety. But if that is the case, it is a minor criticism, and it does not detract from the overall power of the narrative.

"Pushing Blackness" does a remarkably good job of conveying complex emotions and ideas in a very short space. For a short read, it is highly rewarding.