"Filthy With Things" by T.C. Boyle

[Barbara]

T.C. Boyle's story "Filthy With Things" is our next story. You can find it in our anthology The Oxford Book of American Short Stories on page 732. If you have a subscription to The New Yorker, you can also read it on their website. And, it's included in Boyle's story collection, Without a Hero.

Joyce Carol Oates' short biographical sketch of Boyle is excellent, as usual. I did not know before that he was a good friend of Raymond Carver's. She makes the point that their writing styles are very different. She also referred to Boyle as a reformed heroin addict which I had never heard before. When I googled it, I found an excellent Guardian interview which said that he formed a "weekend" heroin addition in college for 2 years but was scared into cleaning up when a friend died. That, he said, "took another two years and a lot of pills and alcohol."

The link for that interview is here:
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/20...
They are initially talking about The Women, his book based on Frank Lloyd Wright, but the biographical information is addressed toward the end.

There is also an article by him which references this story on the New Yorker Page Turner blog:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs...

[Barbara]

I am not normally a fan of Boyle's writing, but wanted to include his story from the collection on this schedule since his novel San Miguel was on the Reading List schedule. However, I found a lot to enjoy in this. I particularly liked his descriptions of the way characters looked. The first one that jumped out at me was the delivery boy: "He's long-lipped and thin, strung together with wire, and he's got one of those haircuts that make his head look as if it's been put on backwards." And, of course, there is the unforgettable Susan Certaine:

She's a tall, pale, hovering presence, a woman stripped to the essentials, the hair torn back from her scalp and strangled in a bun, no cheeks, no lips, no makeup or jewelry, the dress black, the shoes black, the briefcase black as a dead coal dug out of the bottom of the bag.

No cheeks and no lips?!? This is a very scary woman. My only criticism is that I think coal is usually referred to as a piece of coal or a lump of coal. But, he definitely gave me a clear image of her.

Do you think that the narrator wanted to go back to his cluttered life in the end?

[Carol]

I'll get to this later. I like Boyle, so I was glad to see a short story by him included in the schedule.

[Sheila]

Barb, I haven't been able to get a online copy to this and I just checked about his short story collection to see if my Library has it but it does not, so back for the next one with you all. Shame because I've never read any of his work.

[Jane]

Barbara, I just read "Filthy with Things." This is the T.C. Boyle I've read before. San Miquel was the author on sedatives. Here he is speeding through a stream of sentences and belongings, commenting on American culture-- its excesses and the cures for these excesses, like the T.C. Boyle I know...only because it's compacted into so few pages, the story itself is an echo of the packed house/yard/garage of its pages. Just brilliant. And while my own house appears neat on the surface, open a closet or go down to the basement and some of that same excess presides. Think of the conversations in this site about Goodread-ers and their books. Ouch! I felt as I read. Of course, that's not me, I protest; I don't have a "collection of Brazilian scythes and harrows" nor "a museum-quality collection of Early American whaling implements, bouys and ship's furniture." My stuff is for the most part--junk. But still. The book is a pointed, funny, stuffed-to-the-gills-with-things rant on American excess, denial and delusion. Ms. Susan Certaine is the evil undertaker, ready to embalm the house, and get rich in the process. Great way to get a feel for Boyle's voice and wit.

[Gabriela]

I like the guy but not crazy about his writing. Just a matter of taste, perhaps.

I saw him twice as he was visiting St. Louis to discuss his books. Remarkably articulate, a sharp intellect. Unbelievably skinny.

I was surprised to hear that he could not make a living out of his writing - a guy reasonably well known and perhaps famous by some standards. He explained he still has to teach and in his long drives to San Diego [at that time, if I am not mistaken], he told us he listened for 8+ hours to audiobooks.

[Jane]

Gabriela, I believe he teaches at USC. Perhaps he lives in San Diego. That would be quite a commute. I wonder what kind of teacher he is, particularly if he resents still having to teach.

[Gabriela]

Jane, that's a good question, my impression is that he must be a very good teacher based on how clear, articulate and well informed he was on a variety of subjects. I guess the commute comments he made refer more to the tediousness of it no matter who or where you are. And the fact he found something entertaining to do while driving.

[Barbara]

Interesting info, Gabriela. Thanks. I'm also amazed that he can't support himself with his writing.