Brokeback Mountain, by Annie Proulx. Scribner 2005, 55 pages
I'd already seen the movie when I read this short story last night. It's very rare when I can read the original text in less time than it takes to watch the movie made from it. I'm pretty amazed that such a short story could be turned into such a great movie, but it worked out just fine.
The story is written in dry, sparse prose. This could easily have been expanded into a much longer book, but the sparseness was appropriate for the subject matter. Men of few words, in a relationship they don't talk about. Details and color are saved for certain moments, leaving the rest of their lives in a kind of haze.
If you've seen the movie, you probably won't get much more out of reading it. The adaptation does the story justice. Most of the dialog (as far as I remember) is transcribed word for word, which gives a good sense of Proulx's language style. If you are a fan of the story, reading it in print does give it a slightly different take, and you won't be disappointed.
Showing posts with label short stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label short stories. Show all posts
Monday, September 17, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
How I Came West, and Why I Stayed
How I Came West, and Why I Stayed
Stories by Alison Baker
1993, 182 pages
My friend Kathleen gave me this book for my birthday this year. It's even autographed, which is always fun. It's a collection of short stories, all very quirky. They usually focus on female protagonists who are in some kind of unusual situation, often exploring or researching.
The first story is about a woman traveling the country looking for the lost cheerleaders. She heard there was a flock of them in the mountains outside of a small town. She visits the small town, and gets to know the citizens. They have rumors of the cheerleaders but no one has ever seen them. Sometimes you can find their tracks in the snow or hear their cheers when the wind blows right.
Another story tells of a kindergartener's experience of when a pair of Siamese twins join her class mid-year. She ends up going out with one of them, and another girl goes out with the other. Eventually, the twins leave when their family moves to Chicago, where there are more "of their own kind", which the kindergarteners interpret as meaning that Chicago is filled with Siamese twins, but in fact they are referring to black people.
Another story is narrated by a girl born to explorer parents in the arctic circle. Eventually the parents die and the girl grows up alone, wandering the ice.
These stories explore many themes and emotions, and most are quite powerful. I can usually just read one short story at a time, and then leave the book alone for a week or two. They are kind of like a rich dessert.
There were a couple I think weren't as strong, but all were interesting in some way. They would appeal more to fans of fantastic fiction, rather than literal fiction. Many of the stories are set in worlds slightly different from ours, or situations that wouldn't quite happen in real life, which I know some readers don't enjoy as much. I like reading about strange worlds though.
Stories by Alison Baker
1993, 182 pages
My friend Kathleen gave me this book for my birthday this year. It's even autographed, which is always fun. It's a collection of short stories, all very quirky. They usually focus on female protagonists who are in some kind of unusual situation, often exploring or researching.
The first story is about a woman traveling the country looking for the lost cheerleaders. She heard there was a flock of them in the mountains outside of a small town. She visits the small town, and gets to know the citizens. They have rumors of the cheerleaders but no one has ever seen them. Sometimes you can find their tracks in the snow or hear their cheers when the wind blows right.
Another story tells of a kindergartener's experience of when a pair of Siamese twins join her class mid-year. She ends up going out with one of them, and another girl goes out with the other. Eventually, the twins leave when their family moves to Chicago, where there are more "of their own kind", which the kindergarteners interpret as meaning that Chicago is filled with Siamese twins, but in fact they are referring to black people.
Another story is narrated by a girl born to explorer parents in the arctic circle. Eventually the parents die and the girl grows up alone, wandering the ice.
These stories explore many themes and emotions, and most are quite powerful. I can usually just read one short story at a time, and then leave the book alone for a week or two. They are kind of like a rich dessert.
There were a couple I think weren't as strong, but all were interesting in some way. They would appeal more to fans of fantastic fiction, rather than literal fiction. Many of the stories are set in worlds slightly different from ours, or situations that wouldn't quite happen in real life, which I know some readers don't enjoy as much. I like reading about strange worlds though.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
