false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg 480269 3 Unrequited love is an old standard, but in <I>Who Do You Love</I> Jean Thompson hauls it out of the hope chest and makes it new. Her territory is the passionate, off-kilter intersection between women and men who have long ago resigned themselves to lovelessness and deep disappointment. In her third collection of short stories, people "don't say that much, but don't expect to. The old grievances, failure, and shame are turning into history, inch by inch." Not that they don't struggle against their fates. A policeman answers a routine call and looks to make a difference in a single mother's life, to ruinous consequences. A widower is forced to put his house up for sale, and proceeds to haunt the young couple who move in with his unending grief. Against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, a young girl witnesses the battle raging in her house between her veteran father and patriotic mother. <p> Thompson skinny-dips into her characters' skulls. We eavesdrop on their most private thoughts, their justifications and reversals of conscience, as they weigh fleeting passions against long-term longings. Anyone want to place a wager on what wins out in the end? While they lazily play out moments of moral turpitude in unassuming settings, these characters observe the scenery with a constant supply of devastating dialogue. Witness Benny in "The Little Heart," as she carries on a conversation with Pete, a lover half her age: "You are the most beautiful creature. Hush. You are. I'm crazy about you. Throwing caution to the winds here." Lesser writers would stop right there, leaving the passage flat and artless, but listen to the bomb Thompson drops in the very next line: "Do you know I've been menstruating for longer than you've been alive?" <I>Who Do You Love</I> can occasionally fall into the variations-on-a-theme category, but there's nothing tedious here. Thompson's prose is often witty and her delvings into seaminess--drugs, flings, futile jobs--are never patronizing or sensational. In her world there's always a little room left over at the end for grace. <I>--Ryan Boudinot</I> 468665 1999 Who Do You Love: Stories total:116|5:24|4:52|3:30|2:6|1:4| 116 434 192 18 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 1 0 false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Jun 16 09:33:52 -0700 2007 Sat Jun 16 09:45:49 -0700 2007 Jean Thompson was a visiting professor at Reed College for the 2006/2007. She lead me for both semesters in my pursuit of writing well. This collection of stories, though being couched in interesting scenarios, does not keep me interested as much I'd like. The prose takes me where I need to go: n...more...]]> 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 3 0 false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 07 11:32:04 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 07 11:33:00 -0700 2009 1264416 0151004161 9780151004164 8 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182358184m/1264416.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1264416.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 4 0 false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 27 13:34:05 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 12 07:56:24 -0700 2007 more...]]> 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 5 0 false Thu Nov 19 08:00:01 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 08:00:45 -0800 2009 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 4 0 false Fri Sep 19 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 07 19:36:50 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 19 20:03:32 -0700 2008
I first heard of Thompson from, of all people, David Sedaris. He mentioned how much he...more...]]> 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 4 0 false Mon May 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 18:19:57 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 18:20:32 -0700 2009 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 0 0 false Wed Nov 18 12:16:22 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 13:13:43 -0800 2009 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 4 0 false Tue Aug 26 20:03:12 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 26 20:03:18 -0700 2008 more...]]> 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 3 0 false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 24 12:38:58 -0800 2008 Wed Mar 19 17:34:50 -0700 2008 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 2 0 false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 28 20:41:59 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 28 20:43:36 -0800 2008 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 5 0 false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 31 10:16:14 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 31 10:17:13 -0700 2007 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 5 0 false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Sat Jan 05 12:22:20 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 05 12:25:14 -0800 2008
Read "All Shall Love Me and Despair" and then go listen to some Elliott Smith. On a rainy day at the Oregon coast.]]> 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 5 0 false Wed May 21 06:19:29 -0700 2008 Wed May 21 06:20:12 -0700 2008 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 4 0 false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Jun 07 22:01:07 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 03 08:09:15 -0700 2007 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 3 0 false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 23 13:07:57 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 23 13:08:43 -0700 2008 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 3 0 false Tue Dec 25 20:05:14 -0800 2007 Wed Nov 14 11:01:42 -0800 2007 Wed Dec 05 16:47:58 -0800 2007 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 0 0 false Tue Nov 11 11:22:59 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 11 11:23:16 -0800 2008 1264416 0151004161 9780151004164 8 2 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182358184m/1264416.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1264416.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 2 0 false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 26 09:31:54 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 26 09:33:50 -0700 2007 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 5 0 false Mon Nov 30 06:49:58 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 30 06:49:58 -0800 2009 480269 0743203011 9780743203012 106 16 3.74 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175110378m/480269.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480269.Who_Do_You_Love_Stories 3 0 false Mon Nov 30 02:58:29 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 30 02:58:29 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=480269