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I love books of short stories and am firmly of the opinion that they are under-read and under-rated. Graham Greene was known for work examining the political and philosophical ramifications of the human condition.
By far my favourite story from this collection is 'The Destructors.' It is a story about boredom, destruction and changing the face of reality. The other stories mimic it; all about ordinary situations but all including surreal manifestations of reality. In 'Alas Poor Maling' a man is plagued by a rumbling stomach whose rumblings resemble sounds that he hears around him, in 'The End of the Party' a young child's fear of darkness becomes his very being.
Greene has an exceptional way of writing which draws the reader into the situation and shocks them with a climactic entry into the extents of imagination. I would definitely be keen to read more of Greene's short stories as well as his novels.
This book contains a series of connected short stories all centred around a house in Massachusetts. In the first story we meet the builder of the house who goes off to sea with his sons who are killed when they all drown. A blackbird, the son's pet returns to the house and blackbirds continue to be symbolic throughout the book of the history of the house and the tragedy that befell its first owners. The house is also home to a ravaging amount of fruit trees and as it becomes weathered and less lived in over the years, the book follows the inhabitants and the various things they do to the house which turn up later in the book under the gaze of a different person.
Hoffman definitely had a gift with prose and this is probably the best book I have read by her. Partially because without over-exposing its many character, themes and symbols of the house are kept alive throughout the book. The way all the stories which could also be read separately, are connected is ingenius and the house becomes a magical place with a vivid history. The reader can picture the different things which happen to the house over the years and it is this, in my opinion that makes the book such a gift to its readers. I read it extremely quickly.
Widely speaking the book shows how every place has a history and how the 'spirit' of previous inhabitants can remain and can shape a livelihood. The house remains msotly neglected throughout the book and all the characters are confronted with a sense of loneliness, sadness and acceptance of their lot.
I would highly recommend this book.
This book features eight short stories written by an immensely talented author and all featuring Bengalese people settling into America, they also have a back story of loss.
The first story named the same as the title of the book features Ruma, a married woman with a child accommodating a visit from her father. Her mother, her father's companion has also recently died. Her father has left his job and started travelling the world. The reader is aware of a woman he has met on his trips but he feels he cannot tell his daughter. As well as detailing the loss of a wife and a mother, this story also goes into the splitting up of a family.
The second story named "Hell-Heaven" is told in the viewpoint of a girl who's family all but takes in a fellow Bengali man and whose mother slowly falls in love with him. When the man starts to form his own life, they separate barely ever seeing him any more. He builds a new life for himself and an unexpected invitation reveals the enormous differences between their adjustments to other countries.
In "A Choice of Accommodation" a recently married couples goes to a wedding at the boarding school of the groom (Amit) where his old crush is finally getting married. You can see from the beginning the trepidation they feel about the trip. Amit's past is explored, not being able to follow his dreams because of the expectations (of becoming a doctor) that his parents have in mind rather than his talent of journalism. The story is filled with the difficulties the couple experiences right until the end.
The next story - "Only Goodness" was one of my favourites. It deals with a Bengali family living in the USA with high expectations for their two children. It shows how Rahul (the boy) slowly turns away from the expectations of his parents experiencing problems that lead him to be an outcast in the family. His older sister Sudha feels responsible for introducing him to the ill he now deals with. The story comes to a sad climax at the end.
In "Nobody's Business" a young Bengali woman has a tumultuous relationship with a mystery man who from the beginning - possibly because of his own feelings for her - her flatmate suspects. When she goes on a trip, her flatmate is left to pick up the pieces of the secrets in their relationship causing her to eventually return to her senses or so it seems.
In the second section of the book, the two characters are related through three stories. Firstly when he comes back with his parents to visit, later his experiences and his life and finally when they come to meet one another once again.
All these stories are absolutely amazing and I highly recommend them all.
