Short Story *On The Beach* from BRUTES published at TURN & WORK with introduction by Hugh Carter

I first discovered Bill Whitten as William Carlos Whitten, when I wrote about his latest record Telepaths back in April. He’s been in a couple of critically acclaimed bands, and learning about his music is kind of like meeting someone who knows all the same people you do, a bizarre feeling like you should have crossed paths already.

Whitten is also a fiction writer, and I’m thrilled to share this story from his excellent collection Brutes. When I finished the book, I reached out to Bill and on a whim asked if he’d consider placing a story here. He selected “On the Beach” and I think it’s a perfect example of his storytelling.

“On the Beach” takes place at an unnamed beach resort, but somehow the story still oozes New York. The narrator’s a fading rock musician hiding from his bandmates with a woman that’s out of his league. What Whitten does so well here (and in every story in Brutes) is to create a character that feels instantly familiar, and see the world through his eyes. The nameless protagonist feels fully formed in about 100 words: to me he’s smelling of expensive cologne, cheap whisky, and an old leather jacket.

His writing reminds me a bit of the direct, no-bullshit prose of Elmore Leonard or Raymond Carver: not quite hard-boiled, but sparse, sometimes abrupt, drawing the reader in by making you feel like you’ll miss something if you let your mind wander for a single second.

Anyway: if you like “On the Beach”, you’ll enjoy his collection Brutes. He tells me he’s working on a follow up collection, and I’m sure you’ll see it here too.

 

 Read *On the Beach* HERE