Kirkus Reviews has awarded the Kirkus Star to Zach Powers, for his new short fiction collection, Gravity Changes. In a glowing review, the BOA Short Fiction Prize-winning collection is called a "fanciful take on life, love, tragedy, and human connection that draws its strength from insight instead of artifice."

According to Kirkus, "On average, Kirkus’s editors award the Kirkus Star to 10 percent of all the books they assign for review. Their decisions are based on their long-running, deep knowledge of contemporary trends in publishing and their appreciation for exceptional writing and illustration." Books that receive the Kirkus Star are automatically considered for the prestigious Kirkus Prize.

"Flying children, lovely light bulbs, and unusually expressive faces are just some of the wonders that populate the world of Powers's debut short story collection," says the starred Kirkus review.

Gravity Changes is a "treasure trove of whimsical surrealism" that brings "the reader closer to the emotional reality of life by distorting the mundane reality of our world." Much of this is done through the author's "uncompromising and often melancholy" view of the world and human nature.

"It takes a few pages to find secure footing in this uncanny universe, but Powers's clean, no-frills prose keeps what could otherwise be a disorienting roller coaster grounded and clear. If some of the stories require a second reading, it's not because Powers strays too far down the rabbit hole but because they're too provocative to release their hold on the reader all at once. And if any of the glimpses into this world, a place wholly different and yet somehow recognizable as our own, are too peculiar to evoke their roots in truth, the next one is never too far away."

Click here to read the full starred Kirkus review.

For more on Gravity Changes, visit the BOA Bookstore.

Click here for more information about the BOA Short Fiction Prize, running from April 1 - May 31, 2017.