Retail Commando
by James Stegall
iUniverse

James Stegall's "Retail Commando: essays, stories + other near misses" is a pastiche of styles and influences. It is the writer's version of a mix tape for a friend, a "here's what I can do" book. Even his publishing method has a distinctly do-it-yourself feel; the book was published via iUniverse.com, an Internet publisher that will put out a nice paperback copy of any book for a few hundred dollars.

Stegall's biggest strength in this collection of essays and fiction is his keen observation of his surroundings. His work at Target during the holidays provoked the book's title essay, a frenetic, claustrophobic romp through the aisles that will make the reader consider handmade gifts this Christmas or doing all their shopping in July.

In another compelling piece, Stegall, a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, writes about basic training. Through his second-person narrator, the reader is right there with Stegall, wincing when the drill instructors yell and getting nauseous at the idea of yet another horrifically named exercise. The basic training exposition is so good that the following pieces falter, especially a "Media Criticism 101"-treatise on the Marlboro Man. Stegall writes best about what he knows well.

The articles that comprise the second section of the book characterize the indie feel of the Pacific Northwest. Stegall originally wrote the pieces for the now-defunct print magazines Elixir and Razor, where he worked while studying journalism at the University of Oregon. Two of the interviews in this collection are with comic-book artists/writers, the better of the two by far being the profile of Brian Michael Bendis. The second is a Q&A with Mike Allred, which is interesting yet out of place in this collection. The underground triptych is rounded out with a revealing profile of The Third Sex, a lesbian pop-punk trio out of Eugene, Ore. The quotes from the band members prove Stegall can ask provocative questions, but he sours the story by trapping it in an unnecessarily neat package. Not everything needs to be spelled out.

Readers familiar with popular journalism and literature of the last 30 years or so will recognize Stegall's influences. There's a little Hunter S. Thompson here and there, a pinch of David Foster Wallace and a handful of Raymond Carver. The book's last section, a collection of short stories, is proof. People enjoy Carver's stories because they are simple and weighty at the same time. You can read a six-page story and then spend the next three hours mulling over it. Stegall is getting there.

His subject matter is familiar — unexpected pregnancies, rock music, trouble with cops and drunken hookups — but some is startling, as in the story of an anguished husband and his dependent, pathetic wife. Stegall's stories succeed in their subtleties. The dialogue isn't groundbreaking and neither are the plots, but the way he gives up his story piece by piece to the reader is simply good writing. A radio breaking upon hitting the floor is a "gasp in a quiet house." An ex-boyfriend recalls "the exact lilt of her cheek against the pillow." He talks about the people at college who "wore thick black glasses, and used words like 'mod' and 'post-structuralism.'" Didn't everyone go to college with people like that?

The answer is yes, which is why Stegall is a good writer who will only improve as his writing matures. The elements of detail and style are present, just waiting to come together. In "Retail Commando," the work is served up on a table so huge, it's hard to reach the good stuff. But when Stegall nudges it closer to the edge, his writing is rich and well-seasoned.

— Aileen Gallagher (aegallagher@earthlink.net)

Aileen Gallagher writes for Ironminds. She reviewed Flak contributor James Stegall's book in accordance with Flak's policy of ethics.