After my trip to West Texas last fall, I came across a book of short stories by Teddy Jones set in that area. Jones describes herself as a former “nurse, nurse practitioner, university professor, college dean, and occasional farmhand.” She currently devotes her time to writing, and lives in the Texas Panhandle.
Jones’s story collection, Nowhere Near, captures the quirky and unique lives of the people of West Texas and makes the reader confident that Jones is a keen observer and has first-hand knowledge of all that makes that area so interesting. My favorite stories in the collection are “Clean Getaway,” “The Woman with a Miniature Donkey,” and “Thirst.” In “Clean Getaway,” we join a group of older farmers who meet at the Farmer’s Co-op each day for coffee and dominoes, where we are privy to the ways they relate, converse, and strategize as they play the game. When one farmer fails to join them for a few days, the story takes a darker turn. In “The Woman with a Miniature Donkey,” the main character’s sister dies suddenly, leaving her to clear out her house, a farmhouse where they both grew up. Of course, there is a donkey to tend to, and attachments grow. And last, in “Thirst,” a father and son face big decisions that will determine the futures of their marriages.
Jones is a wonderful storyteller and a brilliant humorist. The characters in the stories are quirky and complex. They are people we recognize in our own relatives and experiences with life in rural communities. Jones captures the settings and characters with vivid description, authentic dialogue, and believable actions.
In addition to her collection of short stories, Jones has published six novels, four that are part of a series set in the Texas Panhandle. I haven’t read the novels, but if they are as good as the short stories they will be worth a read. If you are interested in reading some of Jones’s work, you can check out her website at https://tjoneswrites.net/ . .
Karen T Miller 