Refresh, Refresh
by Benjamin Percy
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 91)
There is a lot of blood in this book--hunting, fighting, accidents, murders.
My favorite stories were: The Killing, Meltdown, and Refresh, Refresh.
The protagonist of The Killing is exceptionally well etched: a Vietnam vet who keeps his amputated foot in a bucket of formaldehyde in his taxidermy studio in the woods. His grandson is staying with him while his daughter gets pounded on by her latest swaggering boyfriend.
Meltdown dovetails with my apoc...more
My favorite stories were: The Killing, Meltdown, and Refresh, Refresh.
The protagonist of The Killing is exceptionally well etched: a Vietnam vet who keeps his amputated foot in a bucket of formaldehyde in his taxidermy studio in the woods. His grandson is staying with him while his daughter gets pounded on by her latest swaggering boyfriend.
Meltdown dovetails with my apoc...more
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Read in January, 2008
I may be biased, but I think the title story here is really amazing. The rest of the collection, though, only spottily holds up, with solid and good stories but nothing as mindblowingly good as "Refresh, Refresh." I would still recommend it, though, as I think it gives a really unique take on the war in Iraq -- describing it through the peripheral affects on those it leaves behind and the culture of violence it has both created and has been created by. I also didn't realize at first th...more
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I can't remember what led me to get this from the library, but I'm glad I did since I interned at the publisher in college.
These are difficult but powerful stories. They all take place in central Oregon, which, I didn't quite realize, is a very different place from the Portland/Wilamette Valley area I'm familiar with. In a way they explore "maleness" in the 21st century, which often takes a brutal form. Not what I normally enjoy reading but the writing pulled me in.
One thing that...more
These are difficult but powerful stories. They all take place in central Oregon, which, I didn't quite realize, is a very different place from the Portland/Wilamette Valley area I'm familiar with. In a way they explore "maleness" in the 21st century, which often takes a brutal form. Not what I normally enjoy reading but the writing pulled me in.
One thing that...more
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Read in March, 2008
Percy's stories are impeccable, possibly too impeccable. Nearly always beginning with darkness (a refrigerator dripping blood, a nuclear meltdown, two boys fighting) and never getting any brighter, Percy executes perfectly. Without fail, Percy finds ways to burrow deeper. The stories (all set in rural Oregon) seem almost classical to me (and it's maybe not surprising that I heard about this book via my ex-writing prof) to the point where there is little surprise when characters have heart attack...more
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Read in December, 2007
*sigh*
This is a second collection that reads like a first. Honest to god, these stories came fresh from an MFA workshop, filtered through a thesis reading and went straight to video. He has a workman-like concept of plot -- the stories get to all the right places, but in a plodding, paint by number sort of way with no compelling voice and a lot of sophomoric sloppiness when it comes to language.
I also feel that a good deal of grunting and adjusting of the balls occurred during the making...more
This is a second collection that reads like a first. Honest to god, these stories came fresh from an MFA workshop, filtered through a thesis reading and went straight to video. He has a workman-like concept of plot -- the stories get to all the right places, but in a plodding, paint by number sort of way with no compelling voice and a lot of sophomoric sloppiness when it comes to language.
I also feel that a good deal of grunting and adjusting of the balls occurred during the making...more
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6 comments
Read in January, 2008
Percy is an interesting writer. These stories have a faint whiff of magical realism about them (one hints at the possibility of a sasquatch sighting, another is set in a Mad Max-style post-nuclear meltdown Pacific Northwest), but the descriptions of violence are nothing if not naturalistic.
I'd say the best stories in this book, ("Refresh, Refresh," "The Meltdown," and "The Caves in Oregon" stand out) are beautiful and evocative, particularly in the way they are ...more
I'd say the best stories in this book, ("Refresh, Refresh," "The Meltdown," and "The Caves in Oregon" stand out) are beautiful and evocative, particularly in the way they are ...more
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An excellent collection of stories by up-and-coming short fiction author Benjamin Percy. All set in Oregon, several of the stories are exceptional, a handful are pedestrian. The title story is a raw and bitter look at the adolescent men in a small Oregon town, and their struggle to mature into manhood while all of their fathers fight in Iraq. "The Caves In Oregon" is another brutal and beautiful story. I highly recommend the entire collection.
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recommends it for:
republicans
I first learned of Benjamin Percy in "Poets & Writer's Magazine." His stories are considered 'literary horror' or something like that. They remind me of what I loved about reading/writing when I was younger: a strong sense of setting (ominous) and character development (human/ambiguous). If anyone wants to borrow this book, let me know.
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
lovers of Hemingway, Carver, Tom McGuane
The title story is a knock-out about men, aggression, and war. If the rest of the stories aren't all quite so spectacular, they nevertheless are beautifully written, with several wonderful moments of description (the stories are set in Oregon). A few stories even tiptoe into the supernatural. Definitely a great voice here.
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Read in November, 2007
OMG this guy is fantastic... and he grew up in good ol' Oregon.
Seriously, his work is amazing. "Refresh, Refresh" gets all the attention, but I also loved his apocalyptic take in "Meltdown." Good story-telling, amazing prose (I know I just used "amazing" twice in the same paragraph-- no "sic" required).
Seriously, his work is amazing. "Refresh, Refresh" gets all the attention, but I also loved his apocalyptic take in "Meltdown." Good story-telling, amazing prose (I know I just used "amazing" twice in the same paragraph-- no "sic" required).
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Read in December, 2007
Ben Percy is a writer I had the chance to study under at UWSP this semester. A talented writer and a good guy. This book of short stories are of a very masculine nature, brimming with the underlining threat of violence but managed with grace and heart.
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I've only read the first story, "Refresh, Refresh" which won a Pushcart. It blew me away. You can read it for free at The Paris Review. You'll thank me.
http://www.theparisreview.org/...
http://www.theparisreview.org/...
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Read in March, 2008
I am on a bit of a short story kick right now---- it saves me the energy of having to remember what yesterday's part was about... since I only have time to read in small doses.
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These stories are not earth-shatteringly well written, but do a good job to portray the struggle by stereotypical ultra-masculine men to show, feel, and experience emotion.
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impressive collection of short stories mostly set in oregon. i've been looking forward to this book since i read the title story in the paris review a couple years ago.
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recommends it for:
anyone who loves good, dark funny short fiction.
this, robin romm's "the mother garden," don waters' "desert gothic," and jonathan messinger's "hiding out" comprise my favorite collections of 07.
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Read in October, 2007
brutal.
for pictures of Benjamin Percy bench pressing some chick check out this page: http://litpark.com/2007/10/26/...
for pictures of Benjamin Percy bench pressing some chick check out this page: http://litpark.com/2007/10/26/...
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tipped by
http://www.pw.org/mag/archive/...=
http://www.pw.org/mag/archive/...=
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Most of Percy's stories are quite strong and grounded in the Oregon landscape (no pun intended). The title story is fabulous.
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a fabulous collection especially the cave story, the second. powerful, resonant. small town reverberates with distant war.
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