The Night in Question: Stories
by Tobias Wolff
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 612)
Read in February, 2008
The only thing stopping me from saying "Flyboys" is the best story in The Night in Question is the absolute perfection of "Bullet in the Brain," and the only thing stopping me from saying "Bullet in the Brain" is the best story ever is, well, I don't know. I had the awesome pleasure of getting to hear Tobias Wolff read that story (as well as some of Old School) when he gave a reading in Pittsburgh a few years ago. I had liked the story before, but afte...more
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I've only read Tobias Wolff's short stories--both this book and the ones from "In the Garden of the North American Martyrs"--but this collection left me speechless. Story after story elegantly focuses on the everyday happenings of mostly "ordinary" people with a keen, often whimsical attention to detail that reminds me of eastern poets. Yet Wolff blends his take on things with a distinctly "American" flavor--an American writer at his best. Stories like "The Cha...more
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Read in May, 2008
What a masterful book of short stories. I agree with other reviewers who say that Wolff has matured and really found his voice. His first book of stories, while brilliant, had a tendency to peter out, while this collection contains stories that are well crafted and self-sustaining. He is a master at avoiding short story let down (defined as: the feelings of frustration that acompany the end of a short story; once you start to relate to a character and care about what happens to him, the story en...more
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Read in July, 2005
Excellent short story collection from 1999. Wolff’s stories are in the tradition of Chekov and Hemingway, glimpses of real people at moments of crisis. In “Chain” the story’s title links two meanings of the word, a metal restraining device and a sequence of events, both of which prove to have too much slack for safety’s sake. In “Bullet to the Brain” a literary critic who happens to be on a teller’s line when a bank is robbed can’t suppress his reflexive scorn for clichés and ...more
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Read in October, 2006
I read Wolff’s This Boys Life many years ago. I enjoyed it at the time and have never forgotten it.
I bought a collection of his short stories when they were on the sale shelf at the front of Books Inc once. It then sat on my shelf for about a year. I wish I’d picked it up sooner.
Typically I don’t like short stories, but not only did I enjoy these, I added Tobias Wolff to my favorite authors list, bringing the total to two (Kazuo Ishiguro has been a long standing member). I need to ...more
I bought a collection of his short stories when they were on the sale shelf at the front of Books Inc once. It then sat on my shelf for about a year. I wish I’d picked it up sooner.
Typically I don’t like short stories, but not only did I enjoy these, I added Tobias Wolff to my favorite authors list, bringing the total to two (Kazuo Ishiguro has been a long standing member). I need to ...more
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Read in December, 2003
recommends it for:
Aspiring writers
The final story in this collection, "Bullet in the Brain," is one of the most perfect stories ever written. It does exactly what I think a great story should do, it resonates and has the power to change the reader's life.
Raymond Carver said of Wolff and this collection: "...He has somehow gotten his hands on our shared secrets and he's out to tell everything he knows. I haven't read a book of stories in years that has given me such a shock of amazement and recognition...&qu...more
Raymond Carver said of Wolff and this collection: "...He has somehow gotten his hands on our shared secrets and he's out to tell everything he knows. I haven't read a book of stories in years that has given me such a shock of amazement and recognition...&qu...more
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Read in October, 2007
As much as I've really enjoyed all the stories in this book, I'm only giving it four stars for an admittedly pathetic reason--before picking it up recently, I'd completely forgotten that I read it about four years ago. Each of the stories gradually came back to me as I read, and I really enjoyed all of them, but... the fact that I couldn't remember having read it makes me question either a) my state of mind at the time I first read it, or b) whether it's as strong a book for me as my other 5-sta...more
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Read in May, 2008
This collection didn't really "wow" me. I think it was because the stories seemed like they were trying too hard to shock the reader, and it just wasn't working for me. Some of the stories were very good, others were just eh. I wondered why they were included at all.
My favorite of the collection was called, "Chain." I also liked "Casualty" and "The Other Miller," both of which took place during the Vietnam War. I can't seem to get away from Vietn...more
My favorite of the collection was called, "Chain." I also liked "Casualty" and "The Other Miller," both of which took place during the Vietnam War. I can't seem to get away from Vietn...more
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Read in October, 1996
All because of "Bullet in the Brain." The first time I encountered this story was at a Tobias Wolff reading, and those were shimmering minutes (especially the last half of the story). A few years later I was lucky enough to see the premiere of Word for Word's theatrical (and word-for-word) adaptation of the piece. I think of this story often, and it reminds me again and again to be present, to be present, to be awake and to enjoy.
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recommends it for:
people who appreciate perfect writing
Gah! Amazing. Couldn't wait to read this after the story "Bullet in the Brain" came out in the New Yorker. Raymond Carver's mentorship is apparent, in a good way. Like Carver and Dahl, Wolff writes stories that have a single, simple plot -- then the rug is pulled out and the characters reveal their true selves (Though "Bullet" reminds me more of Nicholson Baker's The Mezzanine).
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Wolff is so comfortable with short stories, and the way he can change course and provide new, believable twists is exceptional. These stories are all great. He does this thing where he paints a relatively simple portrait but then some little detail changes half-way through and ends up taking the tale down a brand new, fascinating course.
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Read in April, 2001
someone passed this book on to me, told me i'd like it, and then pestered me for the next two years about when i was going to read it. when i finally did, all i could do upon finishing it was call the guy who lent it to me and thank him for putting this book in my hands. one of the best short story collections i've ever read.
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The best collection of short stories I own. Includes "Bullet in the Brain", which is a deserved classic, but my fave is "Two Boys and a Girl", which might be my fave short story ever. It is THAT good. People always talk about Raymond Carver, but Wolff is a total virtuoso and has way more range as a storyteller.
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Read in February, 2006
recommends it for:
fans of Raymond Carver
This collection has "Bullet in the Brain" in it, which basically meant I was going to love it. I read that short story in high school when it ran in the New Yorker. I managed to track it down a few years ago and it was exactly as I remembered -- an affecting encapsulation of a life in under four pages.
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Read in February, 2008
There is not a miss in this short story collection, from a divorced father driving his son back to his mother in a snow storm on Christmas Eve to two adult siblings negotiating their father's violence growing up, each story has deep, complicated and humane insight into the world at large.
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Read in February, 2008
There are no truly awful stories in this collection, but there are none that really grabbed me, either. Definitely check out "Smorgasbord," "The Other Miller," and "Casualty." You can safely avoid "Mortals" and "Lady's Dream." Everything else sort of falls in between.
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
writers
Best book of short stories I've ever read. The hit single in here is "Bullet in the Brain," but readers who prefer high quality writing to long form character development will find a large creative scope and consistently perfect execution in The Night in Question.
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Read in August, 2007
Wolff's characters are not pitiable, but warnings. Please don't think he moralizes, though. Only he is able to depict human weakness as well as he is able to depict resilience.
Best story in volume is the one about the family...and the fireplace.
Best story in volume is the one about the family...and the fireplace.
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Read in August, 2007
Tobias Wolff is a master of quiet prose. I don't always like his characters. "The Light of the Body" seems wholly inscrutable to me, and a tiny bit repulsive.
Favorites: "The Other Miller", "The Night in Question, "The Bullet in the Brain"
Favorites: "The Other Miller", "The Night in Question, "The Bullet in the Brain"
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in progress - kinda stalled. I thought I really liked Wolfe's writing but it's really not grabbing me. I don't think it's Wolfe, I think it's my job being a little crazy right now & I'm not enjoying leisure reading in general.
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