Meeting Across the River: Stories Inspired by the Haunting Bruce Springsteen Song.

MEETING ACROSS THE RIVER; STORIES INSPIRED BY THE HAUNTING BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SONG. Jessica Kaye & Richard Brewer, eds. 2005. Various readers. 8 cds. 9 hrs. Blackstone Audiobooks. 0-7861-7631-8. $72.00. Vinyl; content notes. A

Bruce Springsteen's song "Meeting Across the River" is the inspiration for this collection of 20 short stories, all based on the few clues of the song: a man named Eddie, a woman named Cherry, the need for a ride, a chance to make some money, a meeting across the river and a sense of desperation. Each author takes these few plot elements and creates his or her own world. The settings vary from 1931 Detroit to modern-day Japan to a world based on a Monopoly board. The characters range from gangsters to small-time crooks, sophisticated ladies and paralyzed wives, but they all have the same underlying sense of lost chances and melancholy. Some of the language is rough and the situations tense, but comparing the way the authors take the same few details to create their own fictional world is a great exercise in the study of creative writing.

The editors have carefully chosen the right voice with the right story, using the talents of the various narrators skillfully and with no false notes. The introduction, history and interpretation of the lyrics make a good entry into the stories, which were all produced for this collection. Nola Theiss, Sanibel, FL