Referred Pain: And Other Stories

by Lynne Sharon Schwartz

In this collection of stories, the characters live seemingly ordinary lives, but, with attention to the nuances of language, their perversions and subversions are revealed with wit and acuity, sometimes in the surreal realm of fantasy. 30,000 first printing.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Lynne Sharon Schwartz (b. 1939) is a celebrated author of novels, poems, short fiction, and criticism. Schwartz began her career with a series of short stories before publishing her first novel, the National Book Award–nominated Rough Strife (1980). She went on to publish works of memoir, poetry, and translation. Her other novels have included the award-nominated Leaving Brooklyn (1989) and Disturbances in the Field (1983). Her short fiction has appeared in theBest American Short Stories annual anthology series several times. In addition, her reviews and criticism have appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers. Schwartz lives in New York City, and is currently a faculty member of the Bennington Writing Seminars.

Reviews

[Pgblu · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book! Might not be for everyone, but this weird manner of weaving characters’ inner thoughts with their outer reality was head-spinningly insightful and expressive. After Eleanor Catten’s books this seems like a similar sensitivity to human conditions. I was also reminded a bit of Kafka, though the unseen antagonists are not some arbitrary authority but the protagonists’ own personality traits. Flaws? Maybe, but if you call them that then consider your own glass house.

[Marie Chow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cut to the Chase:
Referred Pain introduces us to an eclectic group of protagonists and situations; some are surreal and fable-like. “Twisted Tales” and “The Stone Master” have unnamed protagonists trying to shift their way through imagined and imaginary fears and foes and have traces of Aimee Bender’s fantastical fiction. The stronger works in this collection, however, focus on the everyday domestic situations and dramas which, often against the will of the readily recognized and empathy-inducing protagonists, are shaped by everyday crises. Like any collection, there are ups and downs, but overall, I laughed and empathized with many of the characters here, making it a worthwhile read.

Greater Detail:
As always with collections, here are some selected synopses:

“Hostages of Fortune” – an older married couple wrestle (literally and emotionally) with redefining their roles now that their children (whom we gradually learn our protagonist never truly wanted) have grown and flown.
“Twisted Tales” – a series of connected short shorts with unnamed protagonists struggling to align themselves with the world around them: a woman who is convinced she was born into the wrong language, another who barricades herself against all clutter (including members of her family: her husband, her children) so that she might finally be able to think in peace
“The Stone Master” – a wrong turn in a rainstorm lands a moderate celebrity in an almost fantastical town where citizens have stones of light
“The Word” – short short about missed opportunities which seems to be thematic center for the collection
“Intrusions” – my favorite in the collection, a writing professor follows her own exercise and writes about a long-ago incident where she came closest to feeling genuine fear and then reflects on her own telling of the tale: where is it least genuine, most manipulative, what if she had told it all differently?
“Deadly Nightshade” – another fantastical premise: a woman is the first in her village to eat a tomato
Schwartz’s characters are deftly honest about their frailties (divorced parents who reconnect for one night after their son’s wedding in “The Trip to Halawa Valley”) and frighteningly self-aware (a writing professor reflects on the full impact of a story she has written about a long-ago boy intruder in “Intrusions.”) Though there are weaker moments (the more fantastical tales lack the genuine specificity which infuses other stories), what holds this collection together is the wry and often surprising humor found in everyday, almost commonplace dramas. Just as Koslowski learns to endure his little discomforts and finds ways to be moderately heroic in daily life, earning “his right to live,” the string of genuine moments and propelling dialogue saves and justifies the collection as a whole.

Comparisons to Other Authors:
The stories that I enjoyed in this were more about missed opportunities and kind of remembered suffering in a way that maybe reminds me of some of Joyce Carol Oates’s stories (though Oates is so prolific I feel like I might as well not have said that). Specifically, I guess this collection reminded me of some of the short stories in Oates’s Faithless (though I enjoyed the latter a little more), and some of the fantastical stories are like some of what Atwood or Garcia Marquez writes (though again, the comparison would make this one the slightly weaker link).

[Shin Machine · Rating 3 out of 5]

although this book features a good number of different titles as short stories, there was not much variety in the execution of each piece as individuals, which is not a very bad thing, considering the domestic and humane Pain the whole collection is about.
The writing was okay but i did not like this cause there was not much far-out-ish feel, which wis what i am looking for right now.
I think housewives may find this work enjoyable.

[Ruth Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters and situations in these short stories created a sense of edginess for me. I liked Schwartz's creativity, though, and the suspense kept me reading.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories from a author who often uses fear as the theme. First rate

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Particularly liked "Twisted Tales"

[Jeannine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting collection of offbeat short stories -- psychological "why done its".