We have here another book of short stories. They further re-enforce my newfound opinion that short stories are worthy of serious attention. These nine stories, all by David Leavitt, cover the gamut of human interaction and vary widely in setting and time.
Mr. Leavitt teaches in the creative writing program at the University of Florida. This is not surprising for two reasons. First, the writing is masterful… great command of the language, powerful handling of narrative, vivid characterization, adept plot development. There is little doubt that the author has all the technical bag of tricks to pass on to eager young would-be writers. Second, perhaps less positive, the collection seems vaguely like a textbook. There is a sense that all the literary mechanisms are used in one or another of the stories as if the author has purposely set out to illustrate good writing technique. This batch of his works might be used as examples.
No author would want to write a group of similar stories to be published together, yet these stories are so disparate in their style that their very diversity is distracting. Whether or not this was the case, the result is certainly satisfactory, if not totally satisfying. Yet the tales are likeable with the exception of one, the shortest…a four-page exercise that seemed both gimmicky and pointless…leaving me confused and not a little annoyed.
The most interesting, if not the most enjoyable, is a tour de force creation, “The Infection Scene”. It juxtaposes imaginary historical action in Victorian England, the era of Oscar Wilde and his ilk, with the contemporary San Francisco gay community. Everything works, the characters, the descriptive narrative, the plot… but the impression left is oddly emotionless, a sterile story written to prove that it could be done. I thought it was much too technique-ridden to be enjoyable. The medium is not always the message. Nevertheless I have re-read it in whole or in part. The attraction is cerebral…sort of thing that Star Trek’s Mr. Spock would find fascinating. (It even has endnotes to document historical authenticity!)
The most emotion laden is a wonderful story of the elderly in Florida… the interaction they have with the Florida urban landscape and each other. It is called “The Scruff of the Neck”. The all-pervasive fear the characters exhibit as they live out their last years is nearly visible in the mind’s eye. I was saddened but gained renewed understanding of elder aging. I was impressed with the author’s empathy and understanding of the human condition. This is an example of the American short story at its best.
Worth the price of the book is another beautiful tale, “Black Box”. It deals with the loss of a same-sex partner in a plane crash, delving into the narrator’s feelings as he passes through the widely accepted phases of grieving, from denial through anger to acceptance. While the plot is tightly woven it was the narrator’s emotional progress that captivated me.
The nine Stories of The Marble Quilt are well worth owning. You may have different preferences as to which is “best”… or most enjoyable. You will, I am sure, find much here that you’ll like no matter from which personal space you come. I liked it. I hope you will too if you read it.