A Short Story a Day #24

“A Perfect Day for Bananafish” is a story by J. D. Salinger originally published in 1948.  It appears to be a moderately renowned piece, with a lengthy Wikipedia page.  It revolves around a central character called Seymour Glass, though in a nice example of misdirection, starts with a conversation of his wife Muriel, with whom he is on holiday in Florida.  It then moves on to the humorous and affectionate interaction of Seymour with a 5 year old girl, Sybil, revealing the whimsical, ambiguous symbol of the “bananafish”, before finishing with a devastating tragic event.

I admit this story had me puzzled for some time, and took a re-reading and a pondering of various commentaries upon it before I felt like I understood or appreciated it.  There are many instances of what appear to be superficial events and dialogue, but ultimately these are part of the point of the story.  There are also a multitude of uneasy hints just below the surface, some of which may indeed be red herrings or simply points of verisimilitude, it is hard to tell.  But there is no doubt of the quality of the writing, especially the rolling rhythms of the dialogue, and the masterful way that Salinger opposes the dry, phony adult world with the genuine, sensual behaviour of children.

Literary Fruit rating: 8 out of 10.

A Short Story a Day #23

Today’s story is “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” by ZZ Packer, which is the title story from the collection of the same name.  It’s about a troubled African-American student at Yale and the unlikely friendship that develops with white, miserable, poetry-spouting Heidi.

The plot eschews the obvious paths, indeed it arguably runs the danger of under-developing some of the plot strands.  In any case the main attraction of the story is the credibility of the narrator’s quirky, occasionally hard-bitten, natural-sounding voice.

Literary Fruit rating: 7 out of 10.

A Short Story a Day #22

“An Alpine Divorce” is a short story by Scottish-Canadian writer Robert Barr (born 1849).  It’s a story that some might say “tells it like it is”, swiftly dismantling any notion of love in marriage, and speculating in that Victorian-era omniscient way about the nature and motives of its main character, a Mr John Bodman.  It starts ponderously but soon gathers steam, though the twist in this tale is perhaps rather predictable to the seasoned short fiction reader.  It also puts me in mind of a certain Max Barry story that I am sure will feature here very soon…

Literary Fruit rating: 6 out of 10.

A Short Story a Day #21

A long short story called “A Beneficiary” by Nadine Gordimer is the subject today. It centers on a character called Charlotte whose actress mother has just died, and the secrets she uncovers when dealing with her mother’s personal effects.

The subject matter is very well-trodden ground in literature: the relationship with parents, revelation of family secrets and affairs, a consequential re-evaluation of one’s identity, all triggered by a death. What perhaps makes this story unique is the unhurried way that it develops, gently resisting the obvious, concerning itself primarily with character, dancing around detail that is sometimes filled out and sometimes merely hinted at.

Literary Fruit rating: 7 out of 10.

A Short Story a Day #20

Today’s short story is “Up at a Villa” by Helen Simpson (also in the collection In Flight Entertainment), which is a short and fun piece about four young people who trespass on another holiday maker couple’s poolside sanctuary.  The main thrust of the story is the contrast between the two groups of people – the invincible youths so different from the stressed parents with their crying baby.

The writing is lovely in this story, for example: “their laughter looped the air behind them like chains of bubbles in translucent water”, and it evokes a sense of place as well as outlining the characters with admirable economy.

Literary Fruit rating: 8 out of 10.

A Short Story a Day #19

A nicely written and compact short story today, Ted Chiang’s “What’s Expected Of Us”, from his collection Stories of Your Life and Others.

This piece is almost a pure thought experiment, and its framing addresses “you” (the reader) but there are really no characters or even a setting to speak of; and yet it still tells a compulsive story centering around the nature of free will.

Literary Fruit rating: 7 out of 10.

A Short Story a Day #18

Today’s short story is the first one we’ve ever rated a 9 out of 10.  It is a truly incredible piece of writing: “Victory Lap” by George Saunders (author of “Puppy”, reviewed in A Short Story a Day #13, both stories available in the collection Tenth of December).

Like “Puppy”, there is a somewhat mundane suburban setting with an undercurrent of oppression and violence.  The story is brought alive with multiple points of view, each narration bearing a very distinct voice.  And oh, what voices they are!  They sparkle with verve and life, propelling the narrative along with a compelling, angular rhythm.  The danger of the distinctiveness of these voices and the mental interiors they reveal is that it can imply a world composed of tragically isolated individuals; you’ll have to read the story to see how its stunning climax resolves this conundrum.  This is a story that shouldn’t be spoiled (though, if someone can speculate on the meaning of the title, which I find rather cryptic…).

Literary Fruit rating: 9 out of 10.

 

A Short Story a Day #17

“The Collector of Thoughts” by David James Poissant is a very short story that revolves around a thought experiment: a man who wants to be free of all of his mental baggage.  The story follows his quest to do this and the consequences that he discovers, with intriguing and largely mysterious hints of why he wants to do this.

Literary Fruit rating: 6 out of 10.

A Short Story a Day #16

Today’s short story is “Because They Wanted To” by Mary Gaitskill.  It’s the story told from a father’s point of view as he looks back on the relationship that he had with his daughter, in particular how it changed as she became a teenager.

The narrative tension is provided by the device of flagging a magazine piece written by the daughter which is discovered at the start but whose details only emerge towards the end of the story.  This is a good device but the “payoff” is nonexistent – there is no real twist or surprise to this story, unless you count the venom with which the main character’s perspective is espoused right at the end. Still, the theme of inter-generational conflict and intolerance of sexuality comes through strongly.

Literary Fruit rating: 6 out of 10.

A Short Story a Day #15

“The Gentle Seduction” by Marc Stiegler is a story from 1989 that chronicles a possible timeline as it unfolds from “now” through to the far future.  The weighty and ambitious subject matter is told from the point of view of a mountain hiking everywoman, which admirably humanises the context and provides an anchor to the trajectory of the story.

The gradual encroachment and adoption of technology is the main theme, compellingly illustrating how progress might affect us and gradually change us, starting from such small beginnings as a pill that fixes your back problems.  The general tone seems to be sunny and utopian; there is no hint of the social inequality or dystopias that often accompanies science fiction that covers similar ground – make of that what you will!

Literary Fruit rating: 7 out of 10.