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The Price of the Haircut
From an acclaimed and original writer comes a new collection of stories bursting with absurdist plot twists and laced with trenchant wit. Brock Clarke, author of An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England and Exley, among other novels, now offers up bite-sized morsels of his trademark social satire that will have readers laughing, and perhaps shifting uncomfortably in their seats. The title story delivers a cringingly biting dissection of racial attitudes in contemporary America, and Clarke also turns his eagle eye to subjects like PTSD, the fate of child actors, and, most especially, marital discord in stories like “Considering Lizzie Borden, Her Axe, My Wife” and “The Misunderstandings.” In “The Pity Palace,” a masterful study in self-absorption and self-delusion, a reclusive husband in Florence, Italy, who believes his wife has left him for a famous novelist, sells tickets to tourists anxious to meet someone more miserable than they. It’s a distinctly Clarkean world, in which readers find themselves reflected back with the distortion of funhouse mirrors—and swept up on a wild ride of heart-wrenching insight and self-discovery.
240 pages, Paperback
First published March 13, 2018
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874 people want to read
About the author
Brock Clarke
20 books126 followersBrock Clarke is the author of seven books of fiction, most recently a collection of short stories, The Price of the Haircut. His novels include The Happiest People in the World, Exley (which was a Kirkus Book of the Year, a finalist for the Maine Book Award, and a longlist finalist for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award), and An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England (which was a national bestseller, and American Library Associate Notable Book of the Year, a #1 Book Sense Pick, a Borders Original Voices in Fiction selection, and a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice pick). His books have been reprinted in a dozen international editions, and have been awarded the Mary McCarthy Prize for Fiction, the Prairie Schooner Book Series Prize, a National Endowment for Arts Fellowship, and an Ohio Council for the Arts Fellowship, among others.
Clarke’s individual stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Boston Globe, Virginia Quarterly Review, One Story, The Believer, Georgia Review, New England Review, Southern Review, and have appeared in the annual Pushcart Prize and New Stories from the South anthologies, and on NPR’s Selected Shorts.
Clarke lives in Portland, Maine and teaches creative writing at Bowdoin College and in The University of Tampa’s low residency MFA program.
Clarke’s individual stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Boston Globe, Virginia Quarterly Review, One Story, The Believer, Georgia Review, New England Review, Southern Review, and have appeared in the annual Pushcart Prize and New Stories from the South anthologies, and on NPR’s Selected Shorts.
Clarke lives in Portland, Maine and teaches creative writing at Bowdoin College and in The University of Tampa’s low residency MFA program.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 22, 2018
Brock was one of my first creative writing teachers, and probably the one I spent most of my time with in my development as a fictioneer in college and grad school. He wound up moving away to Bowdin from Cincinnati, but Cincinnati seems to be a major player in these stories—even glancingly as the opener (and title story) deals with a race-riot set off by cops shooting a black teen after an alarming number of cops had shot an alarming number of black people in an alarmingly short span of time. This actually happened in 2001 in Cincinnati. Brock's story doesn't name Cincinnati this time (though it does in most of the others), but it seems clear to me that this moment was an inspiration for Brock. However, in the story, the race riot wasn't actually set off by the obvious reasons. No, the mayor has a different conclusion: cops killing a lot of black people had nothing to do with it, in fact, it was because a man who gave $8 haircuts made a racist comment while giving one of those hair cuts and triggered the whole riot. For the protagonist this spins out into a biting satire of race-attitudes among affluent white men. The white men find themselves torn—as liberal, forward-thinking men (as we're assured over and over through the story) they sympathize with the protestors, however, they can't get over the fact that they've been spending $15, sometimes $20 for a haircut when all this time there was a man giving them for $8. And they didn't even like those $20 haircuts they had been getting! The story's tone is aloof which creates a biting sub-text that critiques wayward attitudes of unaffected whiteness. It is the best story in the batch.
Brock's prose is often acerbically stilted and repetitive which layers itself with meaning and depth as the layers stack up. This style works incredibly well in stories like "The Price of the Haircut" and "Our Pointy Boots" (a stark take on war-inflicted PTSD) where the deeper critique has a profound conclusion or kernel of humanity nestled in it. However, on the flip-side, some of these stories have fun and clever conceits but less-affecting ideas/thoughts/moments, and the style falls flat, coming across one note-ish and overwrought. There's still comedy embedded in the linguistic play, but without the anchoring of the emotional complexity found in the stronger stories, it doesn't stick to your ribs in the same way.
Having read almost all of Brock's work, the best stories here are among his best I've ever read. The style does wear itself thin in places, but the meditations on marriage and infidelity and race and mental illness and family life here are deeply affecting and wonderful rendered in unexpected, delightful and playful ways.
Brock's prose is often acerbically stilted and repetitive which layers itself with meaning and depth as the layers stack up. This style works incredibly well in stories like "The Price of the Haircut" and "Our Pointy Boots" (a stark take on war-inflicted PTSD) where the deeper critique has a profound conclusion or kernel of humanity nestled in it. However, on the flip-side, some of these stories have fun and clever conceits but less-affecting ideas/thoughts/moments, and the style falls flat, coming across one note-ish and overwrought. There's still comedy embedded in the linguistic play, but without the anchoring of the emotional complexity found in the stronger stories, it doesn't stick to your ribs in the same way.
Having read almost all of Brock's work, the best stories here are among his best I've ever read. The style does wear itself thin in places, but the meditations on marriage and infidelity and race and mental illness and family life here are deeply affecting and wonderful rendered in unexpected, delightful and playful ways.
January 22, 2018
Disclaimer: I have never met a Brock Clarke book I didn't love.
Some of the stories in this book made me laugh out loud; some of them made me uncomfortable; many of them gave me pause and made me think; a lot of them will stay with me for a good long while. That, my book-loving friends, is the definition of an excellent short story collection.
Some of the stories in this book made me laugh out loud; some of them made me uncomfortable; many of them gave me pause and made me think; a lot of them will stay with me for a good long while. That, my book-loving friends, is the definition of an excellent short story collection.
February 23, 2018
Thanks to Algonquin for the free review copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
This book is a collection of short stories that take on a vary sarcastic and satire tone. I enjoyed getting to read about how the author portrays all walks and stages of life. At times, I was laughing so hard while reading this.
I do love short stories and enjoyed even the really short ones.
There was a story that I couldn’t connect with that made me uncomfortable, so I didn’t finish it. Other than that, it was a decent read.
This book is a collection of short stories that take on a vary sarcastic and satire tone. I enjoyed getting to read about how the author portrays all walks and stages of life. At times, I was laughing so hard while reading this.
I do love short stories and enjoyed even the really short ones.
There was a story that I couldn’t connect with that made me uncomfortable, so I didn’t finish it. Other than that, it was a decent read.
September 7, 2018
This is a weird book - Clarke seems to have a knack for coming up with good stories only to have them hijacked by his own writing style; and then of recognizing the weaknesses of that style and pointing them out within the story, as though addressing them in this way makes them into strengths (it doesn't).
Three of the stories here are written in the first person plural which almost always feels odd, and in each of these three stories a character outside the group will challenge one of "us", asking them why they keep referring to themselves as "we". This works well the first time - it's like the author is giving you a nudge and a wink: he knows what he's doing, he's saying - but when he does it again... and again, you start to wonder. And it is this repetition which I found to be the other major weakness of his style and which he employs in every story - he uses the same phrases over and over, restating the same facts about characters. At first there is almost a fairy tale quality to this and it is quite intriguing, but by the final story, "Pity Palace" about a man in Florence whose wife - a woman who eats her salad one leaf at a time like an angel, and who leaves the man for the famous American author who writes best-selling novels about Italian gangsters in New York (see: it's just like a fairy tale - he forces these phrases into your head by sheer force of repetition) - it is getting really tired and seems more and more like a crutch.
But the core ideas of most of these stories are really good: the title story is a clever and original satire about a group of men questioning their own racial attitudes, "Our Pointy Boots" is about PTSD among soldiers. "The Cure for Meanness" and "The Misunderstandings" are also great ideas. I just wished Clarke didn't string them out so long, and would stop so obviously trying to be funny (I didn't laugh once). I didn't not enjoy this collection, but nor would I be in a hurry to pick up anything else by the author - he just wasn't for me I'm afraid.
Three of the stories here are written in the first person plural which almost always feels odd, and in each of these three stories a character outside the group will challenge one of "us", asking them why they keep referring to themselves as "we". This works well the first time - it's like the author is giving you a nudge and a wink: he knows what he's doing, he's saying - but when he does it again... and again, you start to wonder. And it is this repetition which I found to be the other major weakness of his style and which he employs in every story - he uses the same phrases over and over, restating the same facts about characters. At first there is almost a fairy tale quality to this and it is quite intriguing, but by the final story, "Pity Palace" about a man in Florence whose wife - a woman who eats her salad one leaf at a time like an angel, and who leaves the man for the famous American author who writes best-selling novels about Italian gangsters in New York (see: it's just like a fairy tale - he forces these phrases into your head by sheer force of repetition) - it is getting really tired and seems more and more like a crutch.
But the core ideas of most of these stories are really good: the title story is a clever and original satire about a group of men questioning their own racial attitudes, "Our Pointy Boots" is about PTSD among soldiers. "The Cure for Meanness" and "The Misunderstandings" are also great ideas. I just wished Clarke didn't string them out so long, and would stop so obviously trying to be funny (I didn't laugh once). I didn't not enjoy this collection, but nor would I be in a hurry to pick up anything else by the author - he just wasn't for me I'm afraid.
July 10, 2018
I gave this two stars instead of one because the first short story is so good. Of the possible five stars that can be awarded to books on this website, I gave it two, but it should have been one. I did this because the author wrote a great short story that I enjoyed, but then after starting so strong, wrote several inferior pieces. Inferior pieces that I did not enjoy, nor did I think they were deserving of two stars, but in fact, only one.
Giving two slightly more respectable stars instead of one lousy star may feel arbitrary, but I can't stress enough how good that first story is, but then again, I also can't stress how disappointed I am with the other stories. Stories that didn't have the same appeal, or differ in tone or style, which is what a collection of short stories might want to do, if it leads so strongly with the first written short story. When you start your readers off with high expectations after the first story, and then fail to say or do anything different after that first story, then you can expect your readers to become bored, or annoyed, or alarmed that this writing gimmick has worked so long for a respected American author. Which is exactly what happened with this collection of short stories.
"Why do you write like that?" you may ask. "Why are you writing your review is such a off putting and repetitive way?"
I am writing this way, because I was exposed to it in this collection of short stories. The same short stories that I awarded two stars instead of one, because of an exemplary first entry, which was followed subsequently by substandard stories. If this review is driving you nuts to read, then you might want to avoid this book, because this is exactly what you will find within its pages. Pages that perhaps, shouldn't exist after the first short story, of which this book takes it title.
Giving two slightly more respectable stars instead of one lousy star may feel arbitrary, but I can't stress enough how good that first story is, but then again, I also can't stress how disappointed I am with the other stories. Stories that didn't have the same appeal, or differ in tone or style, which is what a collection of short stories might want to do, if it leads so strongly with the first written short story. When you start your readers off with high expectations after the first story, and then fail to say or do anything different after that first story, then you can expect your readers to become bored, or annoyed, or alarmed that this writing gimmick has worked so long for a respected American author. Which is exactly what happened with this collection of short stories.
"Why do you write like that?" you may ask. "Why are you writing your review is such a off putting and repetitive way?"
I am writing this way, because I was exposed to it in this collection of short stories. The same short stories that I awarded two stars instead of one, because of an exemplary first entry, which was followed subsequently by substandard stories. If this review is driving you nuts to read, then you might want to avoid this book, because this is exactly what you will find within its pages. Pages that perhaps, shouldn't exist after the first short story, of which this book takes it title.
July 19, 2018
DNF. This collection started off well, with the titular piece, which was funny, insightful, and had just the right satirical tone to get the point across. Unfortunately I found the rest of the collection to be downhill from there, getting progressively less interesting as the pages went on. I tried to push through on the strength of the first story alone but I couldn't do it. I found the rest of the stories to be fairly uneventful and flat.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 9, 2020
Having read Clarke's last three novels, I wish he were a terrific friend of mine and I could call him up on the phone whenever I felt like it. This collection seems darker than Clarke's earlier work, but it still strikes that perfect balance of funny and poignant.
March 20, 2018
The Price of the Haircut by Brock Clarke is a very highly recommended collection of eleven short stories.
These stories are bursting with social satire, wit, surreal situations, and peculiar plot twists. The writing is excellent and the stories were perfectly presented, the characters are humorous and flawed, but somehow relatable. The situations seem absurd, yet ordinary. I loved every single story in this collection.
Contents include:
The Price of the Haircut: The mayor of a town determines that a riot was due to a man who said a racist comment while giving an eight dollar haircut. Racial attitudes are examined through a group of men who have been getting expensive, but bad haircuts for years. The men wonder if it would be better to go to this barber and only pay eight dollars for their haircuts.
The Grand Canyon: A woman tells the story of her honeymoon at the Grand Canyon in one long run-on sentence.
What Is the Cure for Meanness?: A young man gives his mother gifts that subsequently die. The first gift that died was a lilac bush, which he gave to her after his Dad left his mom for another woman on her birthday.
Concerning Lizzie Borden, Her Axe, My Wife: A man is kicked out of the house by his wife and six days later invited to join her on a trip to the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast in Fall River, Massachusetts - and take the official two-hour tour.
Good Night: A parent struggles to accept affection from a son without caustic commentary.
Our Pointy Boots: Soldiers suffering from PTSD return home from war and tell reporters that, "The first thing we’re going to do when we get home is put on our pointy boots and parade around the Public Square."
The Misunderstandings: A dysfunctional family has a horrible night of family discord turn into a misunderstanding that turns into more misunderstandings, all of them curiously beneficial.
That Which We Will Not Give: A family has a shared story about the time their mom asked their dad for a divorce and he wouldn’t give it to her. The story could differ, "depending upon who was telling it and which part of the story they chose to emphasize."
Cartoons: An ex-wife is taking a cartoon-drawing class at the community center.
Children Who Divorce: Child actors from a well-known movie, who all married young, then divorced, and loved the star in the movie, are participating in a play/remake of the story. They have a doctor who listens to them to make sure they are mentally prepared for the show.
The Pity Palace: In Florence, Italy, Antonio Vieri believes his wife has left him for "the famous American author who wrote those best-selling novels about Italian gangsters in New York, and Antonio Vieri was feeling sorry for himself, so very sorry for himself that his friends warned him that if he did not stop feeling sorry for himself, he, Antonio Vieri, would become famous for it throughout Florence... " A tourist/entrepreneur begins selling tickets to tourists to meet the very sad, miserable Antonio Vieri.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2018/0...
These stories are bursting with social satire, wit, surreal situations, and peculiar plot twists. The writing is excellent and the stories were perfectly presented, the characters are humorous and flawed, but somehow relatable. The situations seem absurd, yet ordinary. I loved every single story in this collection.
Contents include:
The Price of the Haircut: The mayor of a town determines that a riot was due to a man who said a racist comment while giving an eight dollar haircut. Racial attitudes are examined through a group of men who have been getting expensive, but bad haircuts for years. The men wonder if it would be better to go to this barber and only pay eight dollars for their haircuts.
The Grand Canyon: A woman tells the story of her honeymoon at the Grand Canyon in one long run-on sentence.
What Is the Cure for Meanness?: A young man gives his mother gifts that subsequently die. The first gift that died was a lilac bush, which he gave to her after his Dad left his mom for another woman on her birthday.
Concerning Lizzie Borden, Her Axe, My Wife: A man is kicked out of the house by his wife and six days later invited to join her on a trip to the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast in Fall River, Massachusetts - and take the official two-hour tour.
Good Night: A parent struggles to accept affection from a son without caustic commentary.
Our Pointy Boots: Soldiers suffering from PTSD return home from war and tell reporters that, "The first thing we’re going to do when we get home is put on our pointy boots and parade around the Public Square."
The Misunderstandings: A dysfunctional family has a horrible night of family discord turn into a misunderstanding that turns into more misunderstandings, all of them curiously beneficial.
That Which We Will Not Give: A family has a shared story about the time their mom asked their dad for a divorce and he wouldn’t give it to her. The story could differ, "depending upon who was telling it and which part of the story they chose to emphasize."
Cartoons: An ex-wife is taking a cartoon-drawing class at the community center.
Children Who Divorce: Child actors from a well-known movie, who all married young, then divorced, and loved the star in the movie, are participating in a play/remake of the story. They have a doctor who listens to them to make sure they are mentally prepared for the show.
The Pity Palace: In Florence, Italy, Antonio Vieri believes his wife has left him for "the famous American author who wrote those best-selling novels about Italian gangsters in New York, and Antonio Vieri was feeling sorry for himself, so very sorry for himself that his friends warned him that if he did not stop feeling sorry for himself, he, Antonio Vieri, would become famous for it throughout Florence... " A tourist/entrepreneur begins selling tickets to tourists to meet the very sad, miserable Antonio Vieri.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2018/0...
January 28, 2018
Bitter Truths Wrapped in Sweet Candy Coatings
It seems to me that in his novels Brook Clarke has shown himself to be a master of inventive word play, comic absurdity, and irony - all tucked into the vaguely disorienting structure that is familiar to us as a hallmark of the postmodern novel. Clarke can be clever, tender, profound, and wildly funny.
In these short stories, though, there seems to be a more powerful undercurrent of something else - bitterness, or possibly anger. Whether we are addressing failed marriages, failed wars, failed jobs, failed lovers, failed children, failed adults, or failed lives in general, there is a darkness, and no particular signs or promises of redemption. Sure, there is still the comic absurdity. And there is the masterful and disorienting juxtaposition of the ordinary, the extraordinary, the magical, and the bizarre. Sometimes there is just structural playfulness or literary joking. But, still with all of that, the predominant tone is in the minor chord.
The narrators of these pieces, (most are told in the first person singular, or the more unnerving plural), are contemptible in a delusional, clueless, sadsack sort of way. Cheating husbands, mean children, casual racists, inattentive lovers, distant parents - they're all here and they seem to want forgiveness, or validation, and yet realize they deserve none. They all spew a carefully and precisely calibrated mix of truth and falsehood, with instances of great insight punctuated by profound self-delusion. It's a little unnerving that they can also be very funny, but of course that's one of Clarke's signature strengths.
And so, with all that said, I enjoyed almost every piece here. Clarke challenges you with difficult characters, implausible plots, antic developments, and hopeless choices, but he does it with such style and wit that you keep diving back in. I've found that with his novels, and it's now confirmed here with this little candy dish of sweet-and-sour treats. A nice find.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
It seems to me that in his novels Brook Clarke has shown himself to be a master of inventive word play, comic absurdity, and irony - all tucked into the vaguely disorienting structure that is familiar to us as a hallmark of the postmodern novel. Clarke can be clever, tender, profound, and wildly funny.
In these short stories, though, there seems to be a more powerful undercurrent of something else - bitterness, or possibly anger. Whether we are addressing failed marriages, failed wars, failed jobs, failed lovers, failed children, failed adults, or failed lives in general, there is a darkness, and no particular signs or promises of redemption. Sure, there is still the comic absurdity. And there is the masterful and disorienting juxtaposition of the ordinary, the extraordinary, the magical, and the bizarre. Sometimes there is just structural playfulness or literary joking. But, still with all of that, the predominant tone is in the minor chord.
The narrators of these pieces, (most are told in the first person singular, or the more unnerving plural), are contemptible in a delusional, clueless, sadsack sort of way. Cheating husbands, mean children, casual racists, inattentive lovers, distant parents - they're all here and they seem to want forgiveness, or validation, and yet realize they deserve none. They all spew a carefully and precisely calibrated mix of truth and falsehood, with instances of great insight punctuated by profound self-delusion. It's a little unnerving that they can also be very funny, but of course that's one of Clarke's signature strengths.
And so, with all that said, I enjoyed almost every piece here. Clarke challenges you with difficult characters, implausible plots, antic developments, and hopeless choices, but he does it with such style and wit that you keep diving back in. I've found that with his novels, and it's now confirmed here with this little candy dish of sweet-and-sour treats. A nice find.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
June 25, 2018
* I won my copy of The Price of the Haircut from GoodReads *
First let me admit: I read a lot, but mostly literary fiction novels and non-fiction. I'm not much of a short story reader. Maybe there's just something fundamental about the form that I don't like. That said...
My reaction to this book in one word would be either "Uugh" or "Ouch". I couldn't finish the whole thing, but skipped around hoping to find a story I liked. I ended up reading the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 8th, and 9th of 11 stories. The only story I read that seemed somewhat worthwhile was "The Misunderstandings". For the most part, the stories struck me as repetitive, pointless, unrevelatory, unprofound, uncompassionate, unsubtle, and too ridiculous to be funny. Satire shouldn't be this tedious and unsatisfying. At times it seemed like the author was making the story up as he went along, without any planning or editing. I'm sure the author is intelligent and understands the people he's trying to portray, but his ideas are executed poorly.
First let me admit: I read a lot, but mostly literary fiction novels and non-fiction. I'm not much of a short story reader. Maybe there's just something fundamental about the form that I don't like. That said...
My reaction to this book in one word would be either "Uugh" or "Ouch". I couldn't finish the whole thing, but skipped around hoping to find a story I liked. I ended up reading the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 8th, and 9th of 11 stories. The only story I read that seemed somewhat worthwhile was "The Misunderstandings". For the most part, the stories struck me as repetitive, pointless, unrevelatory, unprofound, uncompassionate, unsubtle, and too ridiculous to be funny. Satire shouldn't be this tedious and unsatisfying. At times it seemed like the author was making the story up as he went along, without any planning or editing. I'm sure the author is intelligent and understands the people he's trying to portray, but his ideas are executed poorly.
July 2, 2018
I often hate books of short stories. By the time I have grown to like the characters, the story is over, and now I have to meet a whole bunch of new people. It's exhausting.
These stories are fun, though, and I never felt that sense of "oh god now I have to read another one?" Perhaps a bit edgy in that white bro sort of way, unfortunately, but they do have some fun and complex feelings in them. The stories about families and marriages capture something profound and whistful. A kind of self devouring loneliness and misery, with comedic elements.
I guess stylistically the stories sometimes repeat themselves. Run on sentences on purpose. Groups talking as a "we". Other gimmicks like that repeat. None of this bothered me. I actually found the repetitions to be almost like a theme in music.
I devoured this book fairly quickly. I liked it. You might like it too. The end.
The title story mocks dumb white middle class dudes and I strongly suspect people will read it and miss the irony because so many people are very stupid. Such is life, I suppose.
These stories are fun, though, and I never felt that sense of "oh god now I have to read another one?" Perhaps a bit edgy in that white bro sort of way, unfortunately, but they do have some fun and complex feelings in them. The stories about families and marriages capture something profound and whistful. A kind of self devouring loneliness and misery, with comedic elements.
I guess stylistically the stories sometimes repeat themselves. Run on sentences on purpose. Groups talking as a "we". Other gimmicks like that repeat. None of this bothered me. I actually found the repetitions to be almost like a theme in music.
I devoured this book fairly quickly. I liked it. You might like it too. The end.
The title story mocks dumb white middle class dudes and I strongly suspect people will read it and miss the irony because so many people are very stupid. Such is life, I suppose.
March 5, 2018
3.5 stars
What I liked most about this collection of 11 short stories was the dark quality to them mixed with some humor. My favorites from the book were "What Is the Cure for Meanness?", "The Misunderstandings", and "That Which We Will Not Give". I thought the author did a good job creating characters that might act in ridiculous ways, but yet were still somehow relatable. The only story that I didn't really care for was "Children Who Divorce" which featured the now grown up child actors from the Willy Wonka movie. I thought having the actors as characters was a great idea but the story just fell flat. Overall though this was a good collection of creative stories dealing with family relationships.
I won a free copy of this book from Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill but was under no obligation to post a review. All views expressed are my honest opinion.
What I liked most about this collection of 11 short stories was the dark quality to them mixed with some humor. My favorites from the book were "What Is the Cure for Meanness?", "The Misunderstandings", and "That Which We Will Not Give". I thought the author did a good job creating characters that might act in ridiculous ways, but yet were still somehow relatable. The only story that I didn't really care for was "Children Who Divorce" which featured the now grown up child actors from the Willy Wonka movie. I thought having the actors as characters was a great idea but the story just fell flat. Overall though this was a good collection of creative stories dealing with family relationships.
I won a free copy of this book from Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill but was under no obligation to post a review. All views expressed are my honest opinion.
April 1, 2018
A diverse collection of stories. The first story (The Price of the Haircut) was a clever analysis of political and social agendas. The final story (The Pity Palace) was extremely well written.
In between were a number of stories that were unpredictable, utilized different styles, or never discovered their plots. In other words, when you started a story, you never were quite sure what to expect. The author displayed various talents, styles, and ideas. A storyteller must possess multiple qualities to be successful. At the same time, please tell me why the husband and wife visited Lizzie Borden's house!
In between were a number of stories that were unpredictable, utilized different styles, or never discovered their plots. In other words, when you started a story, you never were quite sure what to expect. The author displayed various talents, styles, and ideas. A storyteller must possess multiple qualities to be successful. At the same time, please tell me why the husband and wife visited Lizzie Borden's house!
February 21, 2018
I managed to get my hands on an ARC of Brock Clarke's new story collection, and for fans of Clarke's work it does not disappoint. The stories here are quirky enough and edgy enough to satisfy fans of Clarke's more experimental work (think: the ontologically minded "Pity Palace" or the single-sentenced "Grand Canyon"), but also moving enough to for fans of more traditional stories (think: "Concerning Lizzie Borden, Her Axe, My Wife" or "The Misunderstandings"). Overall, another solid effort from an increasingly potent and important contemporary fiction writer.
March 9, 2018
This book was downright delightful and imagine I'll be revisiting some of the stories sooner rather than later. Brock Clarke uses lightheartedness, genuine comedy, and characters with relatable flaws to deliver insights about humanity, relationships, family, PTSD, and divorce; and somehow none of it feels too heavy. Definitely my favorite book I've read this year, and I look forward to exploring more of his work.
August 4, 2018
I usually enjoy short story collections. This collection however, left me utterly disappointed. Out of 11 short stories, I only moderately enjoyed about 4 of them, maybe 5, and moderately is pushing it. The rest were painfully unentertaining to read. After forcing my way thru this book, I am glad it was a first reads giveaway. I would have been even more disappointed if I had not only wasted my time, but also my money.
April 17, 2018
I enjoyed this book, especially the lead story The Price of the Haircut. The perfect story to lead this book off with. Wasn't a huge fan of every story, but on the whole , a great endeavor. The stories are varied...some catch you off guard, some make you think, and all are a pleasure. Worth the price of admission if all you read is The Price of the Haircut!
October 4, 2018
I read 2/3s of these stories before admitting that I wasn't really enjoying them much. The title story "The Price of the Haircut" was biting social commentary on the circuitous logic white entitled men use to explain, in this case, the shooting of black men by cops. It was a terrific story. But the flat, sometimes absurdist style wore thin for me, although I did laugh out loud once in a while.
June 4, 2022
An eclectic batch of stories by an author new to me. Some were bizarre, a couple made me uncomfortable, and my favorites included a touch of humor, albeit irreverent. "A misunderstanding is not the same as a lie." ...Ah...Not sure, but I think I like the writing style, so may need to check out another of Clarke's books.
December 17, 2024
any short story that kinda goes on a walk and makes you see how weird most humans are is a good short story in my book ! some def more thought-provoking than others (like soldiers w ptsd and grown up child stars) but for some reason my favorite was the lizzie borden one. overall a solid group of tales & i think def for ppl who enjoy kevin wilson’s short story collections
March 14, 2018
Brock Clarke's The Price of a Haircut is truly a piece of work. I've never read 11 more distinctive offbeat stories. They combine for numerous evenings of entertainment as you read each. Full of fun, thrills, and confusion!
July 15, 2018
Three and a half stars. The best of these frequently bizarre stories--the title story, "Our Pointy Boots," "The Misunderstandings," "What Is the Cure for Meanness?"--are scathing and hilarious. Others strain after the same effects.
July 16, 2023
Short stories - some made sense, others didn't. Unique style of narration earns extra points. Real winners were "Our Pointy Boots" a collective representing soldiers returning from deployment and "The Pity Place" set in Italy with a man unrecovered from his girlfriend leaving for an author.
January 31, 2018
I like Brock Clarke's fiction books. His short stories are very unique and addictive, sort of that dangerous addiction you had to Hubba Bubba bubble gum in your youth.
March 8, 2018
A collection of diverse, outlandish, satiric short stories reminiscent of the work of George Saunders.
March 28, 2018
3.5 stars
dnf
June 19, 2018The title story is outstanding, but the rest weren't grabbing my interest.
June 26, 2018
Endearing, biting, off-kilter, kind, and funny.
July 14, 2018
I really loved the satire of The Price of a Haircut and couple of other short stories. Others a bit too quirky (?) for me. Made me laugh out loud several times.
January 7, 2019
Got as an ARC during ALA sometime ago...delightfully weird and quirky and unexpected. I enjoyed the mix of stories and general story telling ability of the author.
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