An awkward young woman observe life in all its ugliness and liveliness
My posting streak was
interrupted by laptop theft. But now I
have a nicer one! Anyway, I had read
Rebecca Curtis's recent story in Harpers and realized I needed to read more of her stories. I loved the story in Harpers. It sucked you right in then took you on a
journey. The construction was really clever. Even though none of the stories
in this debut collection were as wonderful as that Harper's story, I
really enjoyed this collection. Rebecca Curtis has a unique voice.
This collection had two types of stories. The first kind were realistic, concerning a sensitive narrator in an intolerable
situation with comically dreadful supporting characters. Most of the "realistic" stories are set in New Hampshire, among the meatheads. Those were by far the strongest --
emotionally deep and hilarious. My
favorites were Hungry Self and The Alpine Slide and The Witches. Twenty Grand,
the title story, fell in this vein, though the plot felt a little too contrived. Then there were the more surreal, fabulist
stories, with a political orientation. They
were more colorless and and more humorless.
Thinner. The key thing here is the narrative perspective.
