Buy on Amazon
|
This guy was probably
only a couple classrooms away from me while I was reading Ibsen plays
at Syracuse. I never saw the guy, and the only thing I know about
him I learned from the movie, This Boy's Life. That was the
film based on the autobiographical account of his life from the book
of the same name. This, The Night in Question, is a collection
of short stories based on the everyday interactions of human beings.
Written much in the vain of Raymond Carver, Wolff's stories are based
more on atmosphere and set-up than on plot and energy. Like Carver,
we get to take a peek into the lives of our neighbors and friends
as they live their lives behind closed doors. Missing from the stories,
though, is the overwhelming creepiness, sorrow and hopelessness that
make Carver's narratives so damn memorable. Of course I have the attention
span and memory of a gnat, so short stories are both a blessing and
a curse; I can remember the beginning of the story by the end, but
have very little recollection of the entire collection after reading
the last page. This could honestly be the best book of short stories
ever written, and I would have no idea. But, in my humble opinion,
there was little to distinguish this collection, and it left no mark
on me as others have.
|
Booze
& Grub
Hipster Movie Reviews
Music