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265th out of 3,826 books
—
4,001 voters
Hiding Out
by
Jonathan Messinger (Goodreads Author)
Hiding Out is a collection of hilarious, sparkling stories about people avoiding the consequences of their poor decisions. A jilted lover dresses as a robot to win back the heart of an ex-girlfriend. A man builds a time machine to embrace the identity he always denied. Playful and empathic, these misadventures feature lonely hearts failing terribly to make a connection.
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
October 1st 2007
by Featherproof Books
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Although I immediately recognized this as "good" writing and a "solid" collection, it took me the first few stories to really feel immersed. And then I realized what the problem was with this book I was supposed to like; no, love much more than I was: I had entered the secret world of boys, unfamiliar territory to be sure. No wonder I felt two steps removed...
But then, but then! The most amazing thing happened. I began to understand, to hang on every word and nuance. See, now I know secrets. Boy...more
But then, but then! The most amazing thing happened. I began to understand, to hang on every word and nuance. See, now I know secrets. Boy...more
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I really liked the cover. The stories were good, too.
Perfect for fifteen minute in-between-whatever reads, Hiding Out had me cracking up in inappropriate places.
I immensely enjoyed two storied in particular: Bicycle Kick and Not Even the Zookeeper can Keep Control.
Bicycle Kick opens with a kick in the face. Upon being rushed to the ER, the main character finds out that the-foot-to-his-face has left only black eye, but his cat scan reviled two previously present head aneurysms side by side. While the average aneurysm could be removed by a simple p...more
I immensely enjoyed two storied in particular: Bicycle Kick and Not Even the Zookeeper can Keep Control.
Bicycle Kick opens with a kick in the face. Upon being rushed to the ER, the main character finds out that the-foot-to-his-face has left only black eye, but his cat scan reviled two previously present head aneurysms side by side. While the average aneurysm could be removed by a simple p...more
Messinger is cute. and clever. I'll give him that. But in a lot of the stories, he relied on that cuteness too much. I'm not saying the characters aren't realistic (in his his stories at leas that are TRYING to be realistic), or that often his descriptive language isn't fresh. It's just that, at the end of the day, or rather, by the last line, few of the stories here add up to much more than what they were: a way to pass the time in a train station in china. Which there are far worse things to r...more
In his disparaging late-1950's book about Chicago, "The Second City," New York journalist AJ Liebling notes that the only Chicago author worth his salt that had not fled the city was Nelson Algren. The comment has enlivened what Liebling would consider to be my Chicagoan inferiority complex, and has me defensively running around reading as many Chicago authors as I can find. In the after-life, I will confront Mr. Liebling. "James T. Farrell may have gone to New York," I will say, "but Joe Meno s...more
[A] striking debut...reading his succinct stories is as natural as breathing. But like the quick, fool-the-eye, knock-you-flat moves of kung fu (a recurrent theme), these tales of lonely, brooding, sweetly romantic guys pack covert and concentrated power.—Chicago Tribune
Messinger’s stories are aching, not bleak, and the collection, wittily and expressively illustrated with Rob Funderburk’s line drawings, is fun, engaging, and a bit more than thought-provoking. A fresh, spot-on debut.—Mark Eleve...more
Messinger’s stories are aching, not bleak, and the collection, wittily and expressively illustrated with Rob Funderburk’s line drawings, is fun, engaging, and a bit more than thought-provoking. A fresh, spot-on debut.—Mark Eleve...more
The publishing of this book is an occasion to celebrate. There are many wonderfully sincere, humbling moments in each of these stories. Many of them involve characters stuck in dream worlds filled with obstacles they struggle to overcome during waking life. Rich, seductive things happen to these characters, magical things, moments charged with wonder and compassion, originality and most notably, honesty.
Perhaps the greatest achievement here is the balancing act Messinger manages to pull off. He'...more
Perhaps the greatest achievement here is the balancing act Messinger manages to pull off. He'...more
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This is going to be good... I was right. It was good, amazing even. The collection both starts and ends with strong, heartrending stories. And all the ones in between are just as good. My favorites are probably "Bicycle Kick" and "True Hero," but all of them made me smile and sometimes laugh out loud and more than a few made me feel a little pang of sadness for the characters and the situations they found themselves in. Several I've read more than once and I'm sure I'll be revisiting many more o...more
I'd give it a 4.5! At first the stories seemed familiar of every quirky short story collection I've read recently, but the further along I went, they became unique and resonated with a voice clearly Messinger's own. Cool :)
I also just love featherproof books and their concepts of what the book should be.
I also just love featherproof books and their concepts of what the book should be.
Good and odd short fiction. I really, really enjoyed the fact that every bit of this book had story elements to it...the colophon page, the about the author, the catalog. Great actualization of using the entirety of the book (okay almost the entirety) to create dialogue. The stories were fast, funny and often moving in an unexpectedly relateable way.
I read this book in a few short hours. Each story is devastating in some way, and I actually copied a few passages down because I liked them so much. I loved how each story seems to end with a sense of transition, and I found all of the men very relatable and lovable, even with their flaws. Highly recommend!
This is an excellent collection of short stories from the Time Out book review editor. Hiding Out is real people: petty and profound, hip and hilarious. If you want to hear me express myself a bit better on this subject, see my review at http://www.ink19.com/issues/november2...
I really enjoyed this book. I had ordered it via an advertisement in the back of another ya book for my library. However, this is NOT a ya book. A ya would not have the life experience to understand some of these very gripping, heart wrenching stories.
A solid collection of short stories. They're incredibly Chicagoland centric, down to earth and just a little quirky. And I felt the collection got better towards the end (Winged Attack, Christmas Spirit and Scream in the Dark were all really great).
The title story is pure gold. The book is worth it for that one alone. The rest of them felt a little all over the place to me, but it's ok: that just means Messinger's only going to keep getting better, and more consistently better.
Some stories made me laugh outloud, others made me cringe a little and one (the wolf attack story) made me scratch my head and go "huh, that was a weird one."
Very enjoyable. Kudos Johnathon. Hope the book tour went well!
Very enjoyable. Kudos Johnathon. Hope the book tour went well!
co-founder of featherweight press and other impressive accolades, author jonathan messinger wrote this collection, male or female he "gets it"...what it feels like to want to hide and also want to be found at the same time
This book is beautiful and strange and made me want to use language in entirely new ways. The amazing drawings that accompany it and the aesthetic of the book are also gorgeous
This is a fast read. I bought it Saturday at the Renegade Craft Fair and finished it by Sunday morning. The story about the guy who emails himself was my favorite.
Oct 27, 2007
J.P.
marked it as to-read
I'm looking forward to this one. Anybody else familiar with it? Seems like this guy is an up-and-comer. I'm always interested in new Chicago authors.
A collection of odd short stories, some better than others, but overall very entertaining. If you enjoy short stories, give this book a try.
This is an uneven collection, but with a few gems mixed in. The cover art and the line drawings, on their own, are worth the price of admission.
Short stories, local author, people in various stages of remove from life. Also, I actually read the whole thing.
Capturing the essence of the short story genre, this collection is bittersweet and grotesque, in a good way.
I am in smit with these stories. Review to come at enfusemagazine.com/culture
pure delight with a little bit of something caught in my throat.
The first page was incredible, but it wore me out.
Nov 15, 2007
Katrinka
added it
This definitely beats Aksyonov so far-- bravo!
Great stories, and the illustrations are flawless.
"Bicycle Kick" was my favorite story.
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Co-publisher of Featherproof Books, books editor of Time Out Chicago, founder of The Dollar Store Show, Boston native, Chicago dweller. Don't trust anyone with more friends than books.
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“To break the silence the old man said the first thing that came to his mind: "Loneliness is a type of violence.”
—
7 people liked it
“How could you love something so destructive?" I ask.
"Because this wolf doesn't care if your heart is whole or not," you say. "It tastes just the same.”
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5 people liked it
More quotes…
"Because this wolf doesn't care if your heart is whole or not," you say. "It tastes just the same.”
