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jeffchon's review
5.0
The conceit behind Commercial Fiction is brilliant--a collection of short stories, each tale inspired by a popular commercial. Who hasn't watched the Cialis commercial and thought "Who are these two people in their outdoor bathtubs?" What really would happen if you saw fairies flittering around your fridge talking about Tapenade?
Whether he's writing about the local schlubs playing football with Brett Favre in those Wranger ads, or grafting Jay McInerney's voice onto a KFC commercial, Housley finds a way to imbue his characters with actual pathos. Take for example "DirecTV," in which a delusional man sees Peyton Manning/Deon Sanders fairies living in his fridge; in Housley's hands, its psychologically complex, heartbreakingly funny, and ultimately, it's horrifying.
In a lesser writer's hands, Commercial Fiction would have felt like a cheap gimmick. In Housley's hands, these are immaculate little stories about people struggling with doubt, and fear, and loneliness. You know, literature.
Whether he's writing about the local schlubs playing football with Brett Favre in those Wranger ads, or grafting Jay McInerney's voice onto a KFC commercial, Housley finds a way to imbue his characters with actual pathos. Take for example "DirecTV," in which a delusional man sees Peyton Manning/Deon Sanders fairies living in his fridge; in Housley's hands, its psychologically complex, heartbreakingly funny, and ultimately, it's horrifying.
In a lesser writer's hands, Commercial Fiction would have felt like a cheap gimmick. In Housley's hands, these are immaculate little stories about people struggling with doubt, and fear, and loneliness. You know, literature.
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