Writer Spotlight: Dave Walsh
Welcome to the ninth installment of Writer Spotlight. This week’s focus is Dave Walsh. I’ve reviewed five of Walsh’s short pieces, two of them on Inkfoundry’s “Get WYSR” feed. (In case you didn’t know, Inkfoundry is a wonderful and free resource that aggregates short fiction and poetry pieces!) This capstone review will look at the overall themes and topics of Walsh’s body of work.
Recurring Themes:
Complex/Flawed Characters
Anger/Mental Health
Parenting & Father/Son Dynamics
Generational Trauma
Day One - Feb 26
Can’t they see she’s just trying to help?
“Champ” Published in Typebar Magazine Issue 5
A ring fighter struggles with parenting and explosive anger.
The Pairing: (Spoilers below)
Both these pieces followed flawed, somewhat unlikable protagonists that ended without them changing in a positive direction. They also focused on adults who had anger issues and took them out on children.
Individually:
“Look for the Helpers” had such an ironic, acerbic bite to the prose via the POV! It really showcased the “nice person” mentality and how utterly shitty it is, that someone can see a child suffering from a war-torn country and yet all they think they can do to help is to give them candy or to ask them questions in a sweet voice and get upset when they don’t show gratitude or “get better.” It really shows that those kinds of people are, at best, simply cosplaying empathy.
“Champ” follows Tommy, a character with more cognitive dissonance about his flaws, but the flaws were for sure still on full display. I was hoping throughout that Tommy would have a heart to heart with his son, because he seems legitimately aware that he’s modeling physical altercations and anger as a problem solving tactic and passing on generational trauma. But it seemed much more realistic and sad that instead Tommy allows himself to fully explode and his freaking little kid has to pull him away, has to be the adult. I think there is also really good commentary in this about what being a ring fighter (I think that’s what it’s called? I’m sorry if this is the wrong term!) can do to a person’s mental health and overall stability.
Day Two - Feb 27
A little boy questions why he has to do something just because his parent did.
He never meant for them to die. He just wanted them to go away.
The Pairing:
In both these stories, a boy or young man must undergo a difficulty that they are not ready for or capable of at their young age, reminding me of “Champ.”
Individually: (Spoilers below)
“Bright Future” joins “Champ” in that it centers around parenting and the difficulties around not passing on generational trauma and abuse, as well as the child ending up having to be the adult in the situation and seeing the truth of something easier than the adult. However, this story has a slightly brighter end tone.
“The Stillness” is an eerie tale with a tragedy as the catalyst that haunts the protagonist. The result of the parentification in this, however, shows what can happen after children are forced to go through things before they’re ready. I think this is also shows neurodivergence as the kid seems to be on the spectrum in some way, because of his need for people to “go away,” and his preoccupation with sound/overstimulation.
Day Three - Feb 28
Reeling after an explosion, the protagonist has scant seconds to figure out how to get to safety.
This one echoed themes of surviving after a crisis, similar to “The Stillness.” Interestingly, also like “The Stillness”, the POV is first person, and a bird features strongly in both, acting as a kind of avatar or guide to help the protagonist in some way. There is also an intense feeling of survivor guilt going on, here, and a theme about rich people not knowing anything about anything and asking for the impossible.
Personal Favorite: “Look For the Helpers”
Summary!
If I were to summarize Walsh’s style in one sentence, I would say he tends to work with parenting themes, generational trauma, and anger and mental health, and does not shy from illustrating both flawed and unlikeable characters and flawed and tragic characters, and the razor edge between.
Interview Questions
What are the themes you tend to return to the most in your work overall? Why do think that is?
Walsh: There’s an abundance of father-son relationships in my work. A lot of that has to do with how integral to my life being a father is, and also the complex relationship I had with my own dad up until he died in 2009. So many of my decisions Are colored by my experiences with him, and on the other side of the coin, my life changed so much when my twin boys were born. For the better, obviously.
I’ve spent the last nine-plus years fully engaged in my kids’ lives, and it’s nice to be able to be a steady and important part of their lives in a way that I wished my own father was. There’s also a sad truth in that expectations on fathers can be extremely low in western society. I still remember the sheer amount of times I’d be out with my kids when they were younger and I’d get comments about how it must be ‘my turn’ or whatever dismissive nonsense. Or I’d hear from older men that they’d never change a diaper. How ridiculous and sad.
Then there are also a lot of themes related to ‘otherness’ and neurodivergence. It’s something that I’ve been dealing with for my whole life, and having my sons only complicated that. Having two kids that are a reflection of both my wife and myself really pushed these issues to the forefront in a profound way. I know my own difficulties in interacting with the world and other people, but watching my kids have some similar issues, to varying degrees, has really left me reflecting on this a lot more. So much of this world could be better, and should.
One of my favorite books of all time remains The Little Prince, and it’s hard not to see that reflected in my work and how the untarnished, creative mind of a child shines through all of the muck and mire that binds the rest of us to this unnatural society. That raw creative outlook, strong sense of right and wrong, and natural curiosity that a lot of us have to tamp down to get through life is so integral to how children view the world, and most of us need that reminder that a lot of the complexities of life are indeed unnatural.
2. What is one of the characters in your short stories/flash pieces that you relate to the most, and why?
Walsh: For better or worse, the protagonist from The Stillness. That story came out of me during a time when one of my sons was struggling in school, and I couldn’t help but think about how I felt when I was growing up. The world seemed so alien and inhospitable to a younger me, and it was accentuated by all of my familial difficulties with mental health, addiction, and poverty. All while trying to navigate that as a ‘difficult’ kid.
3. What short fiction author do you look up to? Why?
Walsh: That’s sorta hard to answer, as there’s a lot of writers active right now that I think the world of. I just remember the excitement when I read my first Thomas Ha story and how I felt like I had to send it to everyone I know. Or how much I love the vibes and language in Cecile Cristofari stories. I really love Carmen Maria Machado and wish there was just more stuff coming out. George Saunders is another, and I also wish there was just more Saunders working trickling out.
Anything else you’d like to say about your work?
Walsh: Our world is filled with monsters. Not the kind with claws and sharp teeth, but ones with money and power. They use that power to divide us and force us into unnatural ways of life. Find joy in the little things, in each other, and remember those are our super powers. Writers and artists of any kind don’t exist in a vacuum, and are each shaped by our experiences. There will never be that one universal experience that can speak to everyone, so instead, we need to communicate in a way that matters to us.
Growing up I found comfort in books, music, art, and movies, although not always in that order. Because even if there weren’t people in my direct vicinity that understood me or I could talk to, there were people out there that got it. There were people that spoke to their own experiences and helped me to feel like the world didn’t have to be a dark place. Hopefully, even if on a small scale, I’m able to convey to others that there’s light and hope out there.
Be good to each other.