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Vanilla Bright like Eminem
by
Michel Faber
Michel Faber is not only a master storyteller but a daring innovator as well. Here are the pitch-perfect prose, indelible characterizations, and deep empathy for which he has been highly acclaimed. Here also is a satirical streak that depicts individuals at uncanny and all-too-familiar turning points in their lives. The alienated find sanctuary in "The Safehouse," their hi...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
September 10th 2007
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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Everyone should read these stories. A couple made me cry and I two inspired vivid nightmares where I woke up in sweats. THis collection is mostly contemporary settings except for one of the stories which takes place in the nineteenth century. Each story is distinct, complete and entirely different than the last. He is fearless in his choice of character inhabitation (does that make sense?) In one story he writes from the point of view of a recovering meth head mother, in another from a tyranical...more
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I thought this collection of short stories was very uneven, and almost didn't finish it because I disliked the first few so much. There's a lot of Dystopian angst, and unresolved endings (which I loved in "The Crimson Petal and the White", but did not like here.
The stories in this book that I did like were "Flesh Remains Flesh" and "The Smallness of the Action" (both very Roald Dahl-like, especially the second one). I also enjoyed "Tabitha Warren"...more
The stories in this book that I did like were "Flesh Remains Flesh" and "The Smallness of the Action" (both very Roald Dahl-like, especially the second one). I also enjoyed "Tabitha Warren"...more
Although the stories in this book don't match the menacing power of Faber's Under the Skin, it's still a decent collection. Faber is clearly not afraid to take risks. There is quite a range to these stories, but they can be loosely grouped into three (roughly equally represented) categories:
# stories set in a vaguely dystopic future
# stories set in the present with a setting or premise that is unusual or a little extreme
# stories set in the present with a completely quot...more
# stories set in a vaguely dystopic future
# stories set in the present with a setting or premise that is unusual or a little extreme
# stories set in the present with a completely quot...more
I give up. What the hell *do* I want from my fiction? Faber makes sentences like BMW makes cars. But I don't like them. For some reason, his stories aren't catching on me and I don't know why. I admire his ability to see turning points in people's lives, to write credibly about people in different and uncommon circumstance, and his magnificently smooth and precise writing. But I remain unhooked. Perhaps it's the short story genre, perhaps I crave a Hollywood happy ending or some third act...more
Apparently some of these stories are repackaged from earlier collection but this is the first time I've bumped into the. I have enjoyed Michel Faber's other books, especially the intriguing and poignant 'Under the Skin'.
He really is a challenging and wonderful writer. For those who may have only read 'Crimson Petal and the White', Michel Faber offers alot in his short stories.. They are dark,funny and visceral. Vanilla Bright like Eminem
He really is a challenging and wonderful writer. For those who may have only read 'Crimson Petal and the White', Michel Faber offers alot in his short stories.. They are dark,funny and visceral. Vanilla Bright like Eminem
I'll admit that I only picked the book up because of the title, but the reviews I've read were decent so I had high expectations. The stories has the potential to be very good however I felt that the execution of the stories was poor.
I understand that these are just short stories, and they are supposed to be an insight into human emotion, but I just got more disappointed the further into the book that I got. The first story made no sense to me and the rest of the stories didn't get ...more
I understand that these are just short stories, and they are supposed to be an insight into human emotion, but I just got more disappointed the further into the book that I got. The first story made no sense to me and the rest of the stories didn't get ...more
Pretty disappointingly - unfortunately I think the writer was done a disservice by the tile, which I hate to say was part of my desire to read the book in the first place. A series of short stories which "depict individuals at turning points in their lives", and nothing before or after. The stories are intriguing enough to get you to read through them, but always end right before the final pay-off, and in general leave you feeling kind of gypped. On top of that, the writing itself is n...more
This is a collection of short stories which is always nice because I tend to get sucked into books and refuse to sleep or eat until I get through them. With short stories I can make myself stop at the end of a story and not have to plow through a 300 page book. I thought it'd be a good before bed kind of thing but the stories are rather dark, creepy, and even a bit morbid at times. If that's not your thing I'd stay away, but I found it really interesting. So I'm either a little creepy my...more
A handful of good stories in this collection, but overall nothing to write home about. Some of the stories are about odd and quirky characters and situations, but these stories didn't really grab and sustain my interest. A few of the stories that are memorable are about small moments - the ex-junkie swimming with her son, the heavy metal musician asking his girlfriend to marry him, and the father experiencing the best moment of his life watching his daughter comb his son's bleached blond hair ...more
I don't usually love short stories, but Faber's acute slices of life are visceral and flooded with emotion. You never quite get what's going on but you can almost choke on the characters' dread or elation. He is a master at distilling and expressing what is unspeakable.
I read it because of the name: my daughter loves Eminem & I enjoyed the stories. The writing was a bit uneven & I enjoyed Consort more but it was generally satisfying.
An amazing collection of short stories. "The Smallness Of The Action" hooks you on the very first page.
Aside from "Explaining Coconuts" every story is a winner.
Aside from "Explaining Coconuts" every story is a winner.
Ever since I picked up Under the Skin a few years back, I've been enamored of Michel Faber's way with a yarn. He's one of a rare breed, an author equally at home working in a number of forms (short story, novella, novel): and no matter what kind of story he's spinning, Faber's tales are as consistently gripping as the best potboilers and, at the same time, they're as meaty and appealingly literary as the best of the highbrow stuff--rife with playfully deft narrative turns and moments of unflinch...more
Creative, imaginative, well-written, engrossing, multi-genre
While the subject matter and time period is drastically different from The Crimson Petal and the White, Michel Faber's attention to tone and place translates beautifully into this collection of bizarre short stories.
From American Psycho-like examinations of domestic violence to eroticized descriptions of coconuts to a punishment-fits-the-crime story of a sick collector of taxidermy, this collection combines humor, horror, and despair with a surprising tenderness. Faber masters suspe...more
From American Psycho-like examinations of domestic violence to eroticized descriptions of coconuts to a punishment-fits-the-crime story of a sick collector of taxidermy, this collection combines humor, horror, and despair with a surprising tenderness. Faber masters suspe...more
Great collection of (mostly) dark short stories. No fluffy stuff here.
It's not a five-star book because some of his endings really fall flat. There are a lot of quick one-line descriptions of what the protagonist sets off to do next (leaving home and never turning back or, conversely, setting off in safety back home), that I get flashbacks to HS creative writing classes. However, Faber is so amazing at distilling certain feelings from bizarre situations that I couldn't put the book down. I was so engrossed that I accidentally got on the Purple Line and ended up in...more
This book of short stories was favorably reviewed in the NYT Sunday Book Review, so I gave it a try. Verdict: Overrated. At least you don't need to worry about confusing it with any other title if you decide to read it. I found the stories to be, mostly, labored. I think the author is trying to be like Roald Dahl, but he doesn't make it. (In fairness, no one could.) Anyway, save your time. I'll be sure to let you know when I read something worth recommending.
I am really not into short stories these days, but I'm reviewing this so I had to read it. It's really weird how Faber's stories veer between sort of surreal and/or totally unpleasant, and charming little vignettes. There were a few stories that made me want to put the damn book down for good, and a couple I really liked. I guess that averages out to a B-/C+.
Exactly what I like in a book of short stories. Creative but with a very natural voice - not trying to hard. Actually shocking in some stories ("The Smallness of the Action") and impressive ability to evoke one emotion while discussing a completely different topic ("Explaining Coconuts"). The author's ability to say the unsaid was really stunning.
A compendium of great short stories by the master of the...unusual, human psyche, random thoughts, take your pick.
These short stories are like little one-act plays -- brief glimpses into small and sometimes not-so-small human moments. I keep hoping that Faber will write something again like The Crimson Petal and the White. However, it is interesting to read a set of works by an author and each one is really different from the others.
enjoyable collection of short stories by michel faber. second collection read since his great novel the crimson petal and the white. he needs to write a novel again.
good interesting stories for the most part, somewhat forgettable but enjoyable reading. can't imagine many of these stories will linger in the memory...
good interesting stories for the most part, somewhat forgettable but enjoyable reading. can't imagine many of these stories will linger in the memory...
I had great hopes after The Crimson Petal and the White (which I loved) that were dashed by this somewhat icky short story collection. I have not given up on Faber; it's possible he's just an epic guy.
The prose is fine, but is creating a fascinating premise and then abandoning it after 15 pages really a valid form of short story creation? Those stories irk me. But in general, go Faber!
There are some messed-up stories in here -- not for the faint-of-heart. I like his writing style, and it had me turning pages but goodness is this bleak...
A light-speed read, the book is a delight. The title story has some true moments of emotional complexity.
Some stories are better than others, but as a whole, they really grew on me and the last one was particularly touching.
Laura
added it
partway through, had to return it. Some good stories, some better stories- one was perfect...
Yesha Naik
marked it as to-read
I just read the review of this book in today's NYT, and was intrigued!
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Michel Faber (born 13 April 1960) is a Dutch writer of fiction. He writes in English.
Faber was born in The Hague, The Netherlands. He and his parents emigrated to Australia in 1967. He attended primary and secondary school in the Melbourne suburbs of Boronia and Bayswater, then attended the University Of Melbourne, studying Dutch, Philosophy, Rhetoric, English Language (a course involv...more
More about Michel Faber...
Faber was born in The Hague, The Netherlands. He and his parents emigrated to Australia in 1967. He attended primary and secondary school in the Melbourne suburbs of Boronia and Bayswater, then attended the University Of Melbourne, studying Dutch, Philosophy, Rhetoric, English Language (a course involv...more
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