Cody's review
A Model World and Other Stories
by Michael Chabon
Cody's review
A Model World and Other Stories by Michael Chabon
Cody's review
rating:
bookshelves:
general-fiction
The fact that this was only Chabon's second book is fairly apparent. He was already a dazzling writer at this stage, but not as consistently, with some images capturing a moment or emotion perfectly and others striking the page with a conspicuous clunk. These stories are especially interesting in the context of the writer Chabon has become, a man who now openly criticizes (albeit lovingly) "the contemporary, quotidian, plotless, moment-of-truth revelatory story," which is what many of these stories are. He readily admits this (in the same essay as the previous quote), describing his short stories as "plotless and sparkling with epiphanic dew." Still, as quiet moment-of-truth stories go, these are fairly good. In particular the last story of the collection, "The Lost World," is surprisingly moving and holds attention like an adventure tale, even though it is—in simplistic terms—just a story of young love. Above all the others it hints at how well he wo...more
