Last Dance by Phil Feltham is a small collection consisting of the title story and three poems, with a simple chapbook design. The action in the short story centers around a high school semi-formal dance. The narrator appears to be a friendless loner. I think I know why. Beginning in the third line of the story, he criticizes everything and everyone in his school. All the girls are shallow sluts who use the boys, and all the boys are boorish losers. The narrator portrays his best friend as an ex-stoner who finally seems to have his life on track. Even the drama teacher on whom the narrator has a crush “tried too hard to portray more sophistication than she really had.” The narrator just comes across as a bitter misanthrope for whom nobody and especially no woman is good enough. Phil bills himself as a journalism student, hopefully in the future he will be able to create more well rounded characters in his stories. The poetry at the end is a bit hallmark. The poems are earnest pleas for love and understanding (not accorded to the characters in the above story), but are a tad maudlin. To end on a positive note though the poem “Hate to Love” would make an excellent punk song. (Jeffrey Mackie)
chapbook, Phil Feltham, 50 cents, 23 Resnik Drive, Newcastle, ON, L1B 1KS