Coleman
I really thought this was gonna be 5*!!
I started reading this through a short story club, in which we read the last real story “Main Character”. I loved that story, so figured I’d read the whole thing.
The first two stories really got under my skin. The writing is funny, smart, and has all the qualities of a nightmare where things just get deliciously worse and worse. Legit gave me a fright, as silly as it was. Especially Allison, she haunted me.
The middle two stories were a bit of a letdown given the other three (not aided by my odd order of reading) I must admit. They felt broader than the first two stories—while all the stories are satirical, I found these two stories strained credulity to the point that I didn’t feel as much pathos or pain of identification reading them. And I didn’t love that the story about a gay man devolves into laughing abt divergent sexualities (even though I have to admit it was kinda funny). It also just really felt like a story a gay man wouldn’t write, and falling into that demo myself that kinda took me out of it.
“Main character” is still a tour-de-force, definitely the strongest story. And I really like how the short, unconventional two final chapters contribute to the overall themes of the book—while “16 metaphors” is a bit uneven, it explores some interesting territory. I like the way the rejection letter finishes off the book. Altogether, a profound look at the feeling of being spurned and how we react to it.
I really thought this was gonna be 5*!!
I started reading this through a short story club, in which we read the last real story “Main Character”. I loved that story, so figured I’d read the whole thing.
The first two stories really got under my skin. The writing is funny, smart, and has all the qualities of a nightmare where things just get deliciously worse and worse. Legit gave me a fright, as silly as it was. Especially Allison, she haunted me.
The middle two stories were a bit of a letdown given the other three (not aided by my odd order of reading) I must admit. They felt broader than the first two stories—while all the stories are satirical, I found these two stories strained credulity to the point that I didn’t feel as much pathos or pain of identification reading them. And I didn’t love that the story about a gay man devolves into laughing abt divergent sexualities (even though I have to admit it was kinda funny). It also just really felt like a story a gay man wouldn’t write, and falling into that demo myself that kinda took me out of it.
“Main character” is still a tour-de-force, definitely the strongest story. And I really like how the short, unconventional two final chapters contribute to the overall themes of the book—while “16 metaphors” is a bit uneven, it explores some interesting territory. I like the way the rejection letter finishes off the book. Altogether, a profound look at the feeling of being spurned and how we react to it.
