The short story genre has always been a difficult one for me to settle in to. Simple because by the time I am settling in to a story, it’s over. It’s a difficult thing to write effectively, and I suspect even more difficult to read when one is used to the normal, long-form novel.

Dale Andrew White has crafted a collection of tales that captured my interested and held it fast through each of the 175 pages. From the Bagboy Liberation Army of The Labors of Peon to the quiet unassuming Miss Mona Darner in In Lieu of Flowers this collection is resplendent in characters you will identify with, laugh at, sympathise with, cheer for and more than anything else recognise.

There are highs and lows of course, some stories will hit the mark and you’ll catch yourself laughing out loud. Others are interesting but land a little wide of the humour mark, but this doesn’t mean they still aren’t enjoyable. And after all, humour is very subjective. While some rest heavily on satire, there is a fair sprinkling of puns throughout, as well as a smattering of social commentary hidden beneath a thin veneer of silliness.

The style of White’s writing slips from narrative to reporting in some tales, and regularly switches from first to third person. If you take each story as a piece in its own right, and perhaps read one at a time, or in short bursts the issue noted by other reviewers of ‘flow’ is dealt with fairly easily. This isn’t a book to sit down and read cover to cover, but rather to visit with cups of coffee, at lunch, on the bus. If you can prevent yourself from laughing out loud that is.

This is my first opportunity to read any of Dale Andrew White’s work, his previous offering Moe Howard Died for our Sins was very well received, and I’m sure this offering will be too. There is no doubt in my mind that White is a natural born storyteller, the 20 short tales within Return of the Dittos (and other stories) confirms that.

Reviewed on 01/07/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Helen Bryen

Dale Andrew White is  very strange, dark and kind of "pervy" (in a good way!) .  And we are so lucky that he is!  This book, Return of the Dittos, is a collection of short stories.  Be careful where you read them, because if it's in public, people around you will wonder about your sanity.  I read it while waiting for my Dad to finish a doctor's appointment.  I can't tell you how many times I realized I was laughing (actually snorting in a ladylike way) way too loudly.  I know I got more than my share of stares, worried glances, and those looks you get from people who are watching to see if you are someone harmful.  

His writing style varies from old school storytelling to broad satire, to rather bawdy and definitely R rated .  The subjects of his 20 short stories are as varied as one can imagine.  From the catfighting world of the junior leaguers, to lowly boxboys at the local grocer, to family life at it's most hilarious.  There is something here for everyone, and it's all rowdy, raucous and fun.  Whoever would think we could laugh at the end of the world?  And I certainly didn't know the revisionist humor that was  the voyage of Christopher Columbus. 

Showcasing his variety of storytelling,  I actually found myself tearing up with sentiment, not laughter, at one story.  The Author of Moe Howard Died for Our Sins has done it again. 
It's a Wild Ride, and nobody does the driving any better than Dale Andrew White!

Reviewed on 09/26/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member LAURI COATES