The Wavering Knife: Stories
by Brian Evenson
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Read in April, 2005
(this review originally appeared in Art Voice)
Brian Evenson observes violence. He is the man behind the counter selling pins to boys who will push them through butterfly brains. But it's not so much "Does the butterfly die?" Or, "Why does the butterfly die?" Or even, "How does the butterfly die?" Evenson is all about dissecting the painstakingly generic transactions that brought the pin to the butterfly brain. He is also about why, in the end, the boy and the bu...more
Brian Evenson observes violence. He is the man behind the counter selling pins to boys who will push them through butterfly brains. But it's not so much "Does the butterfly die?" Or, "Why does the butterfly die?" Or even, "How does the butterfly die?" Evenson is all about dissecting the painstakingly generic transactions that brought the pin to the butterfly brain. He is also about why, in the end, the boy and the bu...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone.
This was an amazing read. To imagine that someone can take the idea of a murder-suicide and construct a story ("Calling the Hour") so involved with language and how the scene builds upon itself that the idea of murder-suicide seems romantic is frightening and within the skills of Evenson. The Wavering Knife is about language and how language creates the setting, but unlike contemporary writers that are "sparse", Evenson is plentiful. "The Ex-Father" is one of...more
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bookshelves:
experimental,
grotesque
Read in April, 2005
recommends it for:
i dunno
some incredible, some mediocre stories in here. very macabre. the occasional mockery of southernness and religious fundamentalism is a bit tired, but the more surreal stories ("The Ex-Father" esp.) are rocking.
True story: I was reading this on the Metro in DC when a woman barfed all over me; my copy has the vomit stains to prove it.
True story: I was reading this on the Metro in DC when a woman barfed all over me; my copy has the vomit stains to prove it.
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Read in March, 2005
My favorite Evenson collection. There is no way of describing the thrilling, horrific, and indelibly well-crafted terrains this book presents to its readers. 'Avant-gothic' is a fitting phrase. Evenson is a modern master of incredible intelligence and ability. A great starting point to his work, I think.
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
humans
This is a great collection of short stories. He writes in two distinct voices in the book and both of them are amazing. This is a very original and well written book.
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I enjoyed some of the stories--there is no doubt he is brilliant, just not my cup of tea.
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bookshelves:
currently-reading
recommends it for:
most
very interesting so far. super dark, ironic and succinct. Evanson teaches at Brown.
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