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maree_k's review
4.0
There is no doubt Lohrey is a deft and skilfull writer, with an excellent command of language. However some of these stories worked better for me than others, mainly because I get a little bit over the problems of middle-class people that aren't really problems at all - and these 'problems' were the theme of several of these stories. Yes, the stories are very well-written, but to me they don't add anything fresh or new in terms of ideas or perspectives.
My favourite story was the final in the collection, Letter to the Romans. The grief in the story was palpable, and the character of the widower was probably the one I felt most empathy for in the collection. Lohrey handles grief particularly well, and although I did not particularly enjoy Primates, the moment I felt the writing really lift was in the wife's desolation over the loss of a child. I also really enjoyed the 'interview' with the neurosurgeon in The Existence of Other Men. The pedestrian description of bone dust by the neurosurgeon, and how he described his wife's reaction to it, was sublime. John Lennon's Gardener was another favourite, possibly because it also touched on grief, although in a more oblique way.
Overall, for me personally, this was an uneven collection not in terms of the writing, but in regard to the subject matter. Still, this collection is easy to read and worthwhile.
My favourite story was the final in the collection, Letter to the Romans. The grief in the story was palpable, and the character of the widower was probably the one I felt most empathy for in the collection. Lohrey handles grief particularly well, and although I did not particularly enjoy Primates, the moment I felt the writing really lift was in the wife's desolation over the loss of a child. I also really enjoyed the 'interview' with the neurosurgeon in The Existence of Other Men. The pedestrian description of bone dust by the neurosurgeon, and how he described his wife's reaction to it, was sublime. John Lennon's Gardener was another favourite, possibly because it also touched on grief, although in a more oblique way.
Overall, for me personally, this was an uneven collection not in terms of the writing, but in regard to the subject matter. Still, this collection is easy to read and worthwhile.
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