Almost Havana: A Collection of Short Stories by F.W Belland and Chris Belland; Whiz Bang LLC, 2014; ISBN 9780692-378885; 192 pages; $14.95; Available on Amazon Amazon.com : almost havana
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – Brothers Fred and Chris Belland each contributed ten stories to this well-written collection. While reading older brother Fred’s stories, I found myself remembering tales by the great Stefan Zweig, who often wrote about loneliness. In several of Fred’s stories, we meet alcohol-dependent characters who are alone, either by choice or by circumstance. Many of Fred’s stories are set in Florida or Latin America, including the first which gives its name, “Almost Havana” to the collection. In this story, a Floridian in Key West who is well past his prime looks back on his one moment of glory, when he won a $5,000 lottery while visiting the shining, pre-Castro, Cuban capital of Havana.
The younger author, Chris Belland, has a San Diego connection. Based in Key West, Florida, with his partner Ed Swift, he created Historic Tours of America, a sightseeing company operating such properties as Old Town Trolley Tours of San Diego. Disclaimer: I know Chris very well, having been a minor partner in the establishment of the San Diego property back in 1989. While I knew he had a knack for historic storytelling, I was unaware that he also loved to write fiction.
A character in one of his stories, “True North,” has a biography strikingly reminiscent of Chris’s own. “He had gone to Wharton and made life long friends there, many of whom were Jewish. He was one of the few goy boys they let into the Sigma Alpha Mu house.” In this story, the protagonist, Jack, works for old-money Philadelphia corporate executives who sneer about Jews and he doesn’t like it.
Another of Chris’s stories reminded me of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, a television series that I have a hunch Chris watched as a young man, even as I did. Called “Careful What You Wish For,” an obnoxiously negative man pushes his attention upon a refined upstairs neighbor man whose apartment he covets. The man, evidently from a supernatural realm, resignedly agrees to give him anything he wises for. “Money,” demands the lout. He is handed a newspaper with the next day’s date upon it. Inside are the winning lottery numbers. I’’ll leave it to you to imagine how this story plays out.
The two Belland brothers are remarkable writers with vivid imaginations. If you’re a fan of short stories, this book is for you.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com.