this is the first heller i've read. i love her writing style. there is an impatience with her characters, driving her careful and thorough description...morethis is the first heller i've read. i love her writing style. there is an impatience with her characters, driving her careful and thorough descriptions.
plus the bitterly honest humor of a dry martini:
"In truth, though, her earliest inclination had been toward a career in law. As a child she had loved going to see her father perform in court and had spent many happy hours in her bedroom reenacting important, historical trials with her Barbies and her gerbil. It was only in late adolescence that her commitment to a career in law had faded. Picking up on certain familial hints- the mood of rueful skepticism that arose whenever she spoke of law school, her mother's breezy speculations as to whether she might not be "a bit dyslexic"- she came to understand that she had horribly overestimated her potential. Having realized her mistake, she quickly set about correcting herself, and by the time she graduated from high school, her aspirations had been lowered to a level with which everyone could feel comfortable."(less)
I've often wondered, sitting on the train, passing port authority, about the circumstances that lead someone to a homeless life.
From the ...moreI've often wondered, sitting on the train, passing port authority, about the circumstances that lead someone to a homeless life.
From the varied reasons Cadillac Man reveals in his survival guide to the streets, this one stood out as the most culpable:
"Blue shirt, red tie, black pants, and green sneakers. Perfect. This is not me, an image of the life I once had and don't wish to go back to. I lost everything, and to try again with the chance of failure, I won't risk my sanity."
We, the "outsiders," as Cadillac Man calls us, think living on the sreet is insane. But what home doesn't come with it's own brand of insanity? (less)
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