by Amy Hempel
It's not that she's not talented; she is. It's not that I'm looking for a reason to dislike her; I'm not. I'd tell you if I did.I enjoyed some of these stories, but they didn't haunt me the way they should have. At some point I'll try this again. Maybe I need to clear my head.
Terrific. One of the best short story collections around. Short stories of the human condition, frequently lit up by flashes of wry humour, and always crafted in just-right sentences and rhythms.
Amy Hempel’s stories are like nothing else in contemporary fiction. They are plotless, almost characterless, but rich in imagery and emotion, more in the mode of confessional poetry than fiction. The language is careful but chatty at the same time, and deceptive in its apparent honesty; the stories ...
This has all four of Amy Hempel's short story collections in one volume. I am assigning it four stars mostly on the strength of her first collection, Reasons to Live published way back in the 1980s. I kept thinking "a female Richard Brautigan" while reading her early stories. Quirky subjects and b...
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