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inthecommonhours's review against another edition
3.0
Amazing writing, but, good God, so disturbing. I think the stories might be best read individually, rather than in a collection.
My favorite was "Passengers, Remain Calm", though "Something To Remember Me By" is stronger (and probably the creepiest story I've read).
My favorite was "Passengers, Remain Calm", though "Something To Remember Me By" is stronger (and probably the creepiest story I've read).
kirstiecat's review against another edition
4.0
So many reviews to catch up on from my summer reading. I read this one a couple of months ago and just found it again today on a shelf. Dan Chaon writes about people who are lost and have disappeared in this one and gives us glimpses into what it's also like to have someone go missing. It's interesting how Chaon can take such a dark subject and make a sort of sense of it so that it has it's own language and texture. I never really felt as horrified by these stories as I thought I should and that made me feel a little odd, actually. But there's a thick poetic reality in some of his writing, too. There's some notions about personal identity here, too, though not as much as in his novel, Await Your Reply. Still, we get a real sense of his characters as people as well as their inner monologues or thought processes which helps us as readers to both feel for them and understand them. He also does well to explore the psyche of people in a variety of backgrounds. This is a worthwhile collection of short stories!
Memorable quotes:
pg. 93 "Why do we think that, we parents? Why do I think it even now, standing in the dark, watching my sons sleeping? Save me, save me, I think. And yet they can't, of course. Already I am halfway gone. Even from the beginning, when their infant's eyes begin to focus on our floating face, the way a cat will watch the moon, you are already a ghost of yourself."
pg. 107 "Here is the beautiful carousel. The horses are all brightly colored, posed in forms of agitation. They life their red mouths as if calling out, their legs curved into gallops, their manes whispering in an imaginary wind."
pg. 133 "I saw it as a scene in a Bergman film-a kind of dreamy blur around the edges, the water a certain undersea color, like a reflection through green glass."
pg. 141 "I remember the time my mother tried to kill herself. o one ever spoke of it as such, but at that age I was old enough to put it together. I recall the ambulance coming to our house, the men trying to put her on a stretcher and her just aware enough to struggle with them-flailing her arms when t hey lifted her, her mumbled protests through lips that seemed clay like and unnatural, moving like a badly dubbed Japanese film."
Memorable quotes:
pg. 93 "Why do we think that, we parents? Why do I think it even now, standing in the dark, watching my sons sleeping? Save me, save me, I think. And yet they can't, of course. Already I am halfway gone. Even from the beginning, when their infant's eyes begin to focus on our floating face, the way a cat will watch the moon, you are already a ghost of yourself."
pg. 107 "Here is the beautiful carousel. The horses are all brightly colored, posed in forms of agitation. They life their red mouths as if calling out, their legs curved into gallops, their manes whispering in an imaginary wind."
pg. 133 "I saw it as a scene in a Bergman film-a kind of dreamy blur around the edges, the water a certain undersea color, like a reflection through green glass."
pg. 141 "I remember the time my mother tried to kill herself. o one ever spoke of it as such, but at that age I was old enough to put it together. I recall the ambulance coming to our house, the men trying to put her on a stretcher and her just aware enough to struggle with them-flailing her arms when t hey lifted her, her mumbled protests through lips that seemed clay like and unnatural, moving like a badly dubbed Japanese film."
dogpound's review against another edition
5.0
Great collection of very American stories. Highly recommend.
lindseycstraub's review against another edition
3.0
This is the second work of Chaon's that I've read, the first being Await Your Reply. His writing has a sort of atmospheric loneliness that is almost palpable. I have always struggled with short stories because I like to get to know the characters, understand them, follow them. But I realize now that isn't the point of the short story. It's a brief snap shot of time, and sometimes the unknowable is more interesting than a complete narrative. A quote by Stephen King came to mind when I finished this book and read the interview with Dan Chaon at the end: “A short story is a different thing altogether – a short story is like a quick kiss in the dark from a stranger.”
hendersonj84's review against another edition
5.0
There are so many breathtaking stories in this collection and the sequencing couldn’t be better.
kwansbff's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I found the stories interesting in the way they were realistically horrific. Nothing obviously horror-themed, but rather the kind of occurrences that happen in real life and send chills up your spine. What added to this was the lack of a clear ending or moral-- the stories leave you to sit with them.
ruth_rocks's review against another edition
2.0
I either wasn't in the right frame of mind when I read these, or maybe you have to be a guy to feel like the narrators resinate with you. Either way, I could tell that Chaon is a talented writer, but none of these spoke to me the way I want great short stories to.
callikat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alanabenjamin's review against another edition
3.0
This collection of short stories is morbid with a weird humor but the writing is impeccable and the character development is rich. I am quite intrigued by how he was able to infuse details of the character, including their emotions and thought-process, as he told the stories. He is also really skilled in conveying emotional depth and complexity in a concise and stunning way.
I wasn't a fan of the lack of closure of the stories. The author left too many gaping holes in several storylines. My favourite stories were 'Passengers, Remain Calm', 'Prodigal', 'Among the Missing', 'Late for the Wedding' and 'Burn With Me'.
The stories do get progressively better so hang in there. Some of the shorter stories just barely had a story arc with little context but an interesting theme, namely 'The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom' and 'Prosthesis'.
Overall, this collection of stories really conveys that even the ordinary among us lead interesting lives. I haven't written off this author entirely but this collection may be one to skip. If you can, get the copy with the Reader's Guide.
I wasn't a fan of the lack of closure of the stories. The author left too many gaping holes in several storylines. My favourite stories were 'Passengers, Remain Calm', 'Prodigal', 'Among the Missing', 'Late for the Wedding' and 'Burn With Me'.
The stories do get progressively better so hang in there. Some of the shorter stories just barely had a story arc with little context but an interesting theme, namely 'The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom' and 'Prosthesis'.
Overall, this collection of stories really conveys that even the ordinary among us lead interesting lives. I haven't written off this author entirely but this collection may be one to skip. If you can, get the copy with the Reader's Guide.