Cadiz, Missouri by Robert Long Foreman

Vouched Books

Visiting us this month at Vouched is Robert Stapleton, founding editor of Booth. His work has appeared with Word Riot, Everyday Genius, and elsewhere. He teaches at Butler University.

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The new issue of Agni (#75) arrived in my mailbox last month, and my favorite story from it is Robert Long Foreman’s “Cadiz, Missouri.” Foreman spins an unconventional tale–often the best kind–that impresses the reader with the creeping idea that you’re lost on a map until you crest a random hill and arrive, instantly, at ground zero.

There’s little direct tension here. And yet, I couldn’t put the story down. Here’s the deal: Karen, our narrator, has just relocated with Charlie from Boston to small town Missouri, a region haunted by tornadoes and cave crickets. Karen says:

I try not to complain too much to Charlie; he was equally reluctant to relocate for his work…

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