Aaron's review
Pastoralia
by George Saunders
Aaron's review
Pastoralia by George Saunders
Aaron's review
rating:
It's been awhile since I've encountered a new-ish author who specializes in that most worthy of genres, brutally black satire. Or at least one who does it well. Saunders certainly does it well, so he's a pretty refreshing discovery for me.
I wasn't quite sure whether to give this one four stars or three, though. As is often the case with short story collections, not all of the stories really did much for me (mainly the ones that didn't have much going on besides their themes--themes which are repeated in nearly every story anyway). The better ones were quite good though--particularly a little number called "Sea Oak," which together with the novella-length title story, is probably enough to recommended this one. (I'd say only bother with the other stories if you decide you really like Saunders's style after reading those two.)
I wasn't quite sure whether to give this one four stars or three, though. As is often the case with short story collections, not all of the stories really did much for me (mainly the ones that didn't have much going on besides their themes--themes which are repeated in nearly every story anyway). The better ones were quite good though--particularly a little number called "Sea Oak," which together with the novella-length title story, is probably enough to recommended this one. (I'd say only bother with the other stories if you decide you really like Saunders's style after reading those two.)
