Why don’t I read more short stories? I picked up this book at the dentist’s office (see my blog entry of May 28). The title story is what caught my attention – I powered right through it. It was long and dense, not what I expect when I hear the term “short story”.
Then I read “Balto”, written from the viewpoint of a young teenager whose alcoholic father screws up big time, ending up in court in a situation where the testimony of the daughter will determine the father’s fate. And I realized I wanted MORE, I wanted a whole novel, not just this short story. I wanted to know what happened next to this troubled family…
I read “La Conchita” and wanted to know if the epiphany experienced by the alienated protagonist when he saved lives during an unanticipated emergency changes his life. Or does he drift back to his “old normal”?
So THAT’S my problem with short stories. If they are good, I want MORE!
I passed this collection of stories along to a hospitalized friend. Maybe short stories are good for a person living with distractions and interruptions… I hope so. Time for me to check out other work by T C Boyle, including his full length novels.
AMG Reading Journal 
That’s some great reading material to find in a dentist’s office! Boyle is a very underrated writer, one of the best working today. I really enjoyed his latest novel, The Harder They Come- just reviewed it on my blog, actually. It’d be a good place to start with Boyle’s novels; his historical fiction is very interesting but a little more densely constructed.
Thanks for your comment! Glancing at your blog, I see discussion of “The Sea” by Banville. I wrote a review of it June 10, 2013, and would like to know what you think of my comments.