This volume is an impressive collection of 11 “long
stories”. In an entertaining introduction, the editor, Richard Ford,
explains why he chose this term rather than novella, which is
what one might otherwise call this sort of story. The introduction
then closes:
And so enough. More than enough, I’m sure. You
have the book in hand now. It’s finally got quiet. You can read.
And there’s lots of good stuff to read. All but one of the stories is
excellent, and the one that isn’t excellent is simply weird. This odd story,
The making of Ashenden by Stanley Elkin, features a
self-centred dandy looking for his true love (a love who must meet all sorts of
exacting criteria), but who ends up having wild sex with a bear. Yes, it must be a
spoof of something; in fact, it’s probably a spoof of a few things, but it makes
for a strange reading experience.
On the simply excellent front, I particularly enjoyed June recital by
Eudora Welty, The long march by William Styron (which felt a little like a
MASH-precursor or influence; it has the right sort of dates), A long
day in November by Ernest J. Gaines, The old forest by Peter
Taylor, Rosa by Cynthia Ozick, The age of grief by Jane
Smiley, and Caroline’s wedding by Edwidge Danticat.
One interesting aspect of many of these stories is that they feature realistic children.
In the stories by Welty and Gaines, the children are central, appealing and believable.
In The age of grief, Smiley tells a story about a middle-aged couple who
happen to have three children, and the children do come across as real, albeit minor,
characters. Getting a story to read about well-adjusted adults, in a modern setting that
seems fairly normal, is interesting in itself.
The other stories are good too; the whole collection is definitely one I recommend.