Bang Crunch (Vintage Contemporaries)
by Neil Smith
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Read in January, 2008
Terrific set of short stories with a precise turn of phrase that creates an arresting image in your mind about a character, a situation. Many times when I finished a story, I had to stop reading and catch my breath. Yes, there's some melancholy overtones to many of the stories, but ultimately they are positive and filled with hope. There's not a weak story in the bunch from the mother who's uncertain that "like" is enough to the basketball player struggling to figure out what his re...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommended to Angela by:
Bordersrecommends it for: someone into VERY modern lit.
I bought this on a whim at Border's one Sunday thinking the cover looked good, they were advertising it, the back description was intriguing. Then getting over buyers remorse I opened it up and let his stories depress me. Their all pretty much downers except for the one about benign tumors and the one about the actor. I really liked the title story Bang Crunch even though it was about an extraordinary but rapidly dying 8 year old, Funny Weird or Funny Ha Ha was interesting and I was really draw...more
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I'm 3 stories in. (I let these collections sit by the bed, and pick up and dabble, like cleansers between other courses.) Smith has a remarkable confidence, backed up by a precision in prose. The stories are high-concept whimsy (the bang) shackled to an almost-emo sincerity, often despairing (the crunch). I like 'em well enough, but I keep seeing Lorrie Moore and Judy Budnitz staring over his shoulder... so I can't recommend him as the best bright new thing. But there's talent and ambition,...more
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recommends it for:
everyone on the planet
superb. the stories make you think in a different way. for example, "extremities" is told from the first person point of view of a right foot and third person omniscient view of a pair of gloves. Some stories made me feel uncomfortable in a way that made me think about the human condition. i think that smith chose to put the best story for last- "jaybird" was probably the most provocative of the stories, and, to me, the most thought provoking. i highly recommend this book to ...more
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Read in March, 2008
Good collection of short stories. Smith does well with a variety of moods, from the touching to the absurd, and the narratives are almost all engaging. There was only one story that failed to impress -- Extremities, which was purportedly about gloves in love with a member of store security, but I have to admit I got so fed up with it early on that I gave it a miss after a few pages.
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Read in February, 2008
The first two stories in Neil Smith’s short story collection Bang Crunch were so punch-in-the-gut good that it caused me a bit of anxiety. Could he keep up this stellar pace? What if he does? What if the entire collection is this good? Will my heart be able to take it?
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Read in January, 2008
It was okay. I started out reading it, and about two stories in I was thinking, "Hey, my husband could do better than this." Another two stories, and it was "Hey, I could do better than this!"
Still, it was, as stated earlier, okay. I wouldn't buy it, but I could see spending some time in a library or bookstore perusing some of the stories.
Still, it was, as stated earlier, okay. I wouldn't buy it, but I could see spending some time in a library or bookstore perusing some of the stories.
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
Fred
Very unique short stories. A glow in the dark gerbil. a widow who talks to her dead husband's ashes inside a curling stone. a girl who grows old and then young again, like the ever-expanding (and contracting?) universe. Worth reading. It's about 250 pages and I read it all in a weekend.
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this collection is at its best when its just neil smith writing whatever comes to mind. a couple of the stories are just absolutely beautiful (the girl with fred hoyle syndrome) and the rest are all rather blase. will definitely check in with his work in the future though...
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Read in January, 2008
Delightful. Smith reminds me of an avant-garde writer who knows when to tone it back. My favorite is the story with two perspectives: a pair of gloves in a department store and a foot blown off an astronaut during re-entry. Surprisingly not kitsch.
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Read in April, 2008
I found these stories to be very uneven. Some I really liked, others I just could not get interested in.
However, the author has a great style and a wonderful sense of language. I would definitely try him again.
However, the author has a great style and a wonderful sense of language. I would definitely try him again.
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This is one of my favorite short story collections ever and a remarkably fun, engaging read - I can't say enough great things about it. Smith has a high-concept empathy that really works.
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Read in February, 2008
An excellent collection of short stories. I was drawn in from the first few sentences.
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Read in August, 2007
I'm a big fan of short stories and this is a great collection.
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