TITLE: Delicate Edible Birds and Other StoriesAUTHOR: Lauren Groff
STARTED: May 1, 2009
FINISHED: May 4, 2009
PAGES: 306
GENRE: Short Stories / Fiction
FIRST SENTENCE: Every village has its rhythm, and ever year Templeton's was the same.
SUMMARY: [From barnesandnoble.com] Groff follows up The Monsters of Templeton with this innovative and beautifully written collection that covers a wide swath of humanity, from east coast resort towns, to the early 20th century flu epidemic, to WWII Europe. In "Lucky Chow Fun," the narrator, an ungainly but wise 17-year-old girl, watches over her younger sister after their father leaves and their mother tunes out. In "Watershed," a woman reunites with a man and moves back to her hometown, but their happiness is short-lived when a freak accident leaves her husband comatose. Not all stories are gems-the supernatural elements in "Fugue," about a couple tending to a semi-abandoned hotel, don't quite work, while "Blythe," about a housewife who befriends a bipolar eccentric in a poetry class, feels half-baked. Even in the less successful stories, Groff's prose is lovely, and when she nails a story-like the title story about journalists fleeing Nazi-occupied Paris-the results are sublime.
THOUGHTS: Groff and me are tight. And by tight I mean we lived in the same town. I enjoyed her stories more (particularly Lucky Chow Fun) because I've lived in Cooperstown. I know the setting. I know the characters. I know that restaurant! (Damn, I miss their steamed dumplings.) While all of her stories are enjoyable, I read Groff for the connection we have. I can see how many people would dislike her work (who needs to fill in those plot holes?), but I enjoy her writing and ability to craft characters.
Each story is different. I mean different. Groff has the ability to write these stories without any carry-over into one another. I don't like it when I can recognize characters and/or styles in each story. It is clear the author took her time on each piece and I appreciate that. The mood is different in each tale and so are the plots. Her ability to create emotional characters from mere lines of text is impressive. I always felt that the characters were complete people even in the scant number of pages they were given. They reacted humanly.
If you're looking for a short story collection that's a bit out there but written with elegance, this book is for you.
RATING: 7/10 [Very Good]
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