Reviews

The Spot: Stories by David Means

alisonjfields's review against another edition

4.0

I realized pretty early on that I'd read a couple of these stories before in "The New Yorker." Means is a fierce, heady writer, who spins uncomfortable, looming tales of criminals and misfits and the folks on just the other side of your last passing thought. He can set up an ominous, haunted vibe in three paragraphs or less that will take a couple of solidly sunny hours to dispel. I found myself wishing he'd kept entirely to the exploits bank robbers and hobos and junkies on the wrong side of reason. I didn't enjoy the well-heeled, New York-area suburban ennui stores as much (though, to be fair, I'm a hard sell on those at all these days), but his transitions from the polite concerns of those stories the skittering ledge brutality of the others makes for a bracing read.

dilan11's review against another edition

5.0

Brilliant, startling short stories. In fact one of the best book of short stories I have read this year. I was stunned by most of them. David Means should be more widely read.