The Theory of Light and Matter by Andrew Porter

The Theory of Light and Matter by Andrew Porter is a book of short stories categorized as literary fiction. The book description from the publisher describes it best: “These ten stories take us across the country—from rural Pennsylvania to Southern California to suburban Connecticut—and deep into characters struggling to find meaning in their day-to-day lives. The Theory of Light and Matter is a stunningly astute vision of contemporary American suburbia, full of tension, heartbreak, and emotional complexity—the work of an important new voice. Long Listed for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award.”

Earlier this year, I read the new collection The Disappeared by Andrew Porter and knew I’d have to dive into this earlier collection by the same author. There is a different cast of characters in this one, an array of disaffected yet searching narrators looking for meaning in their lives when they aren’t receiving answers from their loved ones or friends or neighbors. All of the stories are told in first-person and are intimate retellings of very personal situations and memories.

“Azul” is about a husband’s awkward relationship to a foreign exchange student—who is named Azul—and the close relationship the student has to the narrator’s wife. The narrator—Paul—is baffled by how close his wife becomes with Azul and often wonders why he’s tasked with driving Azul to his lover’s place. Paul often delights in observing Azul’s spats with his gay lover Ramón. When they break up, Paul unwittingly invites Ramón to a house party for Azul with unsettling results.