Two Against One

by Frederick Barthelme

Appearing unexpectedly on Edward's fortieth birthday, his estranged wife, Elise, triggers a series of events that will embroil them in a bizarre triangle and strain their fifteen-year marriage to the breaking point

Genres: Fiction, Novels

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Barthelme's works are known for their focus on the landscape of the New South. Along with his reputation as a minimalist, together with writers Raymond Carver, Ann Beattie, Amy Hempel, and Mary Robison, Barthelme's work has also been described by terms such as "dirty realism" and "K-mart realism."He published his first short story in The New Yorker,and has claimed that a rotisserie chicken helped him understand that he needed to write about ordinary people.He has moved away from the postmodern stylings of his older brother, Donald Barthelme, though his brother's influence can be seen in his earliest works, Rangoon and War and War.
Barthelme was thirty-three year editor and visionary of Mississippi Review, known for recognizing and publishing once new talents such as Larry Brown, Curtis Sittenfeld, and Amy Hempel early in their careers.

Reviews

[Tao · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book.

[Jonny Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book.

[Sam Ruddick · Rating 5 out of 5]

read this in 06. was one of the best books i ever read, i think. don't tell him that, of course, but it was pretty damn good.

[Alberto Martínez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mejora muchísimo a partir de la segunda mitad del libro. Pasa de la insulsa descripción detallada de una aspiradora a la decadencia de la vida de cualquier persona clasemediera del mundo.

[Rick Seery · Rating 3 out of 5]

three/four/ah, who cares about ratings.

Interesting. Tracked this copy down in Marrowbone Books, Dublin. Never expected to find any of the lesser known Barthelme's stuff in Ireland or the U.K. Donald Barthelme's brother Frederick was also the original drummer in the Red Krayola, or back when they were known as the less mystical the Red Crayola.

So, like his more famous brethern, he ends up writing fiction. Realism, just not as you might recognize it...

The characters remind me of the characters from Ann Beattie, or Joy Williams. So, there's something similar happening across the 1980s in literary realist fiction in how these writers approach characters. It would have made a curious Hal Hartley type film with James LeGros and Mimi Rogers in the lead roles. Mimi Rogers could have played two of the female characters...

More to go back over, but for now: Frederick Barthelme seems to deal with the boundaries of social trangression, alienation from loved ones, boredom and ill-direction in the face of rampant consumerism and idle choice [see social boundaries], alienation from possessions/property - all of which seem to be quite prevalent across a lot of 1980s literary realism I've encountered.

[Brendan Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a 3.5 as it loses steam in the middle for a while but it really sparkles at the start and end. But also don’t fucking read this if you are also experiencing the end of a relationship—it’s a bit too close to the skin!

[Rick · Rating 1 out of 5]

A relic of its time, like disco.
I did not like a single character.
Luckily no pets or children were involved.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the minimalist style I expect from him, but the characterization is exquisite.

[Elise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never again will I judge a book by its cover. The used, hard cover edition of Two Against One that I bought had a beautiful dust jacket adorned with the artwork of one of my favorite Surrealist artists, Paul Delvaux. That turned out to be the only feature that I liked about this superficial, pathetic little book of narcissists and obsessive compulsives where nothing happens unless you count the several pages where protagonist Edward describes the joy of putting together his new vacuum cleaner and vacuuming his house, even under every piece of furniture, step by boring step. This was pure torture. Had I not spent money on this, I never would have forced myself to finish reading it. It doesn't even take me anywhere I want to be. While it takes place in the 80s (and I love the 80s), here we have the dull 80s of suburbanite yuppies who can't figure out what (or who) to do with their time. Cry me a river! This one's going straight to the Little Free Library, so I can save someone else from wasting money on it. Don't waste your time on this one.

[Céline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not finish this book. The characters annoyed me and I just don't care how this book ends

[Michael D Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author's male characters are starting to sound the same.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two Against One by Frederick Barthelme was OK. Anyone who has read this book knows what I mean.

[Sharon Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es un libro muy largo, los personajes se
Complican bastante y le dan muchas vueltas a los
Problemas