Read this book: Other People We Married by Emma Straub, 2011. 9781594486067.
Main theme: short stories, mismatched romantic partners struggle along.
Secondary theme: constantly judging the author based on her father's writing.
Ending theme: until realizing after a couple stories that I know jack-all about her dad's work and I just read the damn stories.
Comments:
1. I liked these. Several of the stories made me uncomfortable because the awkwardness of the relationships. In real life I would turn away from the trouble and let the people deal with it themselves. I would be embarrassed at witnessing or hearing what happens.
2. New York City centric with white people doing New Yorker things. Or, at least, things that I presume New York people do.
3. Straub's husband's name is Fusco. This reminds me of the Fusco Brothers cartoon, which reminds me of the cartoonist, and that reminds me of that collection of rejected New Yorker cartoons. I need to bring that book home and read the whole thing.
4. Mismatched people by looks and social status. Men and women characters who know they are less attractive than their partners.
5. Characters who are unsure.
6. Favorite story? I don't know.Fly-Over State I guess, since Straub set it in Madison and I liked the narrator.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Since when is Wisconsin a fly-over state? Maybe if you're travelling from Canada to Texas. Anything supernatural in here or did not her father's love for the spooky rub off on her?
I thought everything West of Philadelphia and East of Denver was considered fly-over territory. My wife's family is from Kansas and that is usually considered not only fly-over but drive-through country.
Fly-Over State features a married couple who move from the East Coast when the husband takes a teaching job. They think they have moved to the remote provinces.
Straub's dad is from Milwaukee and she went to school at UW-Madison so I presume she has fun working those into a fish-out-of-water story.
No supernatural aspects. This is very much domestic fiction focusing on the interior thoughts and feelings of the characters.
I am impressed with the breadth of your reading. You might like HOW TO BUILD A BETTER GIRL if you liked this one. Elissa Schappell.
Post a Comment