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Written by Josh More
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Wednesday, 09 April 2008 02:25 |
Another book that I picked up simply because it had a great title was Things You Should Know by A. M. Holmes. Not only do I like to know things (so a book that detailed what I should know was particularly appealing), but it has a lovely picture of a penguin-badger on the cover.
I know you're thinking "Penguin-badgers? We don't need no stinkin' penguin-badgers!", but in this case you might want to reconsider. This is a collection of short stories is wonderful, despite the yellow post-it note that informs me: "this book sucks" (I love used books. :)
She writes from the heart, which is something that reviewers say quite often but never define. This is unsurprising, as the heart is a tricky thing. Most authors tend not to write about four chambers that endlessly pump oxygenated erythrocytes, choosing instead to write from a metaphorical heart. This is the approach that A. M. Homes has taken. In her case, however, "writing from the heart" and "writing heart-warming stories" are very different.
She opens the collection with "The Chinese Lesson", which doesn't so much explore the issue of an interracial marriage (half unrecognized) as drop you into it and let you find your own way out (sans-machete). She then goes into incomprehensible magical realism in "Raft in Water, Floating", which doesn't even being to make sense until you read "The Weather Outside is Sunny and Bright", her other magical realism story later in the volume. Even then, it's not entirely clear what's going on, but such things do not have to be understood to be appreciated.
Then, just in case you were liking her characters, you get to meet a woman who you really want to like, but can't quite manage to. This is largely because she is emotionally crippled and indulges in what I can only describe as "genetic rape". "Georgica" is a spooky story, one about loss and pain and longing. I'm still not sure if I liked it. I certainly didn't enjoy it... but of all the stories in this book, it's the most memorable.
The woman in "Remedy", however, is very likable. It's a story about maturity and anxiety. It's about trust and communication... and about how easy it is to lose them both in the business of the everyday.
In contrast, "Rockets Around the Moon" doesn't hit nearly as hard. It's about family -- families of birth and families of choice. It really should be more powerful than it is, but I just didn't find myself caring about the characters. People with other upbringings might have different reactions to it.
Then I read "Please Remain Calm" and my world was shaken. This was a story about marriage and suicide. I'll just say that it hit very close to home, and I may have been crying at the end. In some ways, I wish I had read it years ago. In others, I'm glad that I have taken the path I have.
The title story "Things You Should Know" is about uncertainty and (possibly) a psychotic break. Generally speaking, it does not present the things you should know, but it does discuss them in their absence. It's hard to boil a three page story down further, so I will merely say that it's about expectation and the eventually realization that, contrary to the common message of society, you have to make a life for yourself. Things don't magically fall into place because there are no places for them to land.
"The Whiz Kids" is about sexual abuse among children. I did not enjoy it... but then I wasn't supposed to.
The other story that stuck with me was "Do Not Disturb". Homes has a way of writing emotionally distant characters, and it really shines in this story. You get to meet a woman who is amazingly egotistical and self-centered as well as her husband who never stands up for himself. It's an unbalanced relationship between two people who become progressively more unbalanced as the story progresses. It's good. It's not fun, but it's good... and it's probably good to read stories that aren't fun sometimes.
The story ends with "The Former First Lady and the Football Hero", which (to spoil it) is about Nancy Regan's life taking care of her husband as he slips into Alzheimer's. It's really good. I never thought that I'd think that about a story about a political figure... especially one with whom's policies I disagree, but it's just so well written. Unlike most of the characters in this book who are somewhat distant and crippled, Nancy Regan is portrayed as being amazingly strong and capable. It's a great end to the collection.
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