In other news, I want to blog a little more about short stories, in the spirit of Sarah Salway's Bristol Prize speech - stories I've read and liked and wish you guys would read and like too. Right now I've just finished Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's The Thing Around your Neck, and I really liked it. The title story is probably my favourite - I like her use of the second person (hard to do well) and the ending is so sad. 'A Private Experience' is really good too - I first read this online on the Guardian website a couple of years ago, and I loved the way she dealt with the way life changed over three generations for a Nigerian family in the final story, 'The Headstrong Historian'. I'm a big fan of Adichie's novels - have any of you read Half of a Yellow Sun? Total genius. She's not an experimental writer - like the novels, the story collection is traditional storytelling, very well crafted, very easy to handle, narrative-wise, but hard-hitting, emotionally. So a big thumbs up for Adichie and her short stories.
I've got a couple of novels lined up next (for reviewing purposes) and then a book of Aimee Bender shorts. Stay tuned.
7 comments:
I really enjoyed Adichie, too.
Just got Kingsolver's The Lacuna which is my reward for finishing another edit of my NIP.
I've never read her - is The Lacuna living up to the hype? Have you read The Poisonwood Bible too?
Only just started - got Poisonwood, too, but want to read that second - as it got so much hype...are you put off by hype?
Oh, meant to say - mostly wanted to read Lacuna, not for hype but because I love Kahlo..and my NIP I'm a big fan of novels which merge fact and fiction.
Nah, I'm not bothered by hype, but I'm a sceptical and pessimistic type who expects to be disappointed!
aha, the DFW piece is one of the greatest pieces of writing ever. about the greatest tennis player ever. rip, dfw, greatly, greatly missed. love your blog and your fiction. from one writer to another, you're quite entertaining, in many ways.
Thanks, Mark! it's a great piece, isn't it? Roll on next month and it's Pale King time!
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