Actor/screenwriter’s short-fiction debut shows plenty of literary potential

Readers paying attention to literary discourse these days will no doubt have heard that men don’t read fiction, and that short fiction doesn’t sell.

With his literary debut, Hollywood actor, screenwriter and director Danny McBride (Eastbound & Down, The Righteous Gemstones, Tropic Thunder and more) defies both those tired tropes, releasing a collection of short stories that grapples with the concept of masculinity in the 21st century.

Much like the characters he typically portrays on screen — from Kenny Powers to Jesse Gemstone — McBride’s focus in these stories are men who use bravura and toxic masculinity to hide their true, fragile, insecure selves, often doubling down rather than take an opportunity to open up and be vulnerable.

For the most part, McBride succeeds in applying his distinct brand of humour to the form of short fiction, while the collection as a whole is highly entertaining literary endeavour, which includes nods to sci-fi (RoboCare™), horror (The Book Burner) and noir (Fun Run). At times McBride’s writing can get stuck in what Lincoln Michel, author of Metallic Realms and the popular Counter Craft Substack newsletter, calls “TV brain prose,” wherein the author’s writing tries to recreate what a viewer would see if the story were a TV show, not a novel or short story.

Indeed, it’s easy to see how many, if not all, of these short stories may have started their lives as one-off screen or teleplays. But more often than not, McBride is able to elevate his prose, leaning into interiority and tapping into the possibilities that prose allows for exploring a character’s inner feelings and intentions in a manner that television doesn’t quite offer.

In The Institute of Men, Mitchie undergoes a unique treatment to reverse the loss of his hair, only to find himself the host of a bizarre parasite that has his hair growing, thick and lush at an alarming rate. Worse, there are those who seek to harvest this newfound bounty.

In The Book Burner, a bit of an homage to Stephen King and Ray Bradbury, a distraught father channels the grief and guilt he feels over losing his wife in a freak accident into anger, which he directs at a bestselling author he believes has stolen his tragic story as the basis of a new novel. When he realizes the deluded error of his ways, he has already set in motion a series of events that may well come back to blow up in his face.

In Last Night of the Runaway Adventure, two 13-year-old boys arrive at a crossroads when one makes the decision to return home after running away, while the other opts for a life on the run.

Not every story translates as well to literary fiction. Dad’s Way: A Hilarious 90s Sitcom, for example, reads like a treatment for a film project, including more than one celebrity cameo.

At times, the rather rote and repetitive dialogue attribution can be clunky and interrupt the flow. Even so, McBride’s writing remains engaging and entertaining throughout, while at times being downright laugh-out-loud funny. If he continues to pursue literary endeavours, McBride may well develop a reputation for his insightful comedic chops both on screen, as well as the printed page.

In the meantime, it’s encouraging to see a talent of his stature and celebrity pursuing artistic endeavours outside his comfort zone. If, along the way, McBride’s efforts encourage more modern men to develop an interest in reading short-form literary fiction — well that’s a big hell yeah, brother.

Sheldon Birnie an arts and life reporter with the Free Press, and the author of short story collections Where the Pavement Turns to Sand and the forthcoming More Strange Visions, both from Malarkey Books.