A couple of short story collections, picked up fairly randomly.

I’ve read a few Joyce Carol Oates novels in the last few years, and I’ve always found them a decent read. I’d vaguely heard of this collection (Dear Husband,), so when I saw it at the library, I figured, why not?

She doesn’t disappoint. I’ve grown to really like short stories, and while these may not be the best I’ve ever read (not that I’m really qualified to judge, as I’ve only come to the genre fairly recently), they’re certainly up there when it comes to pathos.

Tangent: one of my friends told me about a recent read (well, in the last six months) and thought it might be my thing. It was a Joyce Carol Oates. Heh.

This collection of stories is from the author of Bright Lights, Big City — Jay McInerney. I’ve never read him. The stories in The Last Bachelor — with one exception, if I remember correctly — are about people in the time following the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York.

Again with the pathos. There’s a lot of sadness in short stories, and sometimes the author can go overboard a bit. I think McInerney is guilty of that. While the ideas behind the stories were interesting / good, I found it a little harder to identify with the characters or even give a monkeys about them.

This is not to say that I didn’t read it cover to cover with ease. I think maybe his style just doesn’t fit me too well.