Having fallen way behind on New Yorkers, I spent a good chunk of time this weekend plowing through. Most pieces were status quo, but I thought that the fiction has been especially good lately. This one in particular, "Alone" by Yiyun Lee, has been haunting me since I read it. It's beautifully written and structured--really, a complete novel in four pages. (I hope all the people trying to pound out thousands of words a day for internet bragging rights are paying attention to this.) Recommended.
Conversely, I was kinda disappointed by "Premium Harmony," a new story by Stephen King. In general, I like King's (non-horror) writing, especially as he gets older and more reflective. But this story just felt stunted and melancholy. I would have happily read more about the characters, but the arc wasn't very engaging at all. And I saw the big climax coming, about three paragraphs in. If it were a normal story by an unknown author, I don't think I'd have been as bothered. Probably unfair, but true. Especially given that he's someone who could probably knock out a rough draft NaNoWriMo novel in a slow weekend, and have it sell 8 bajillion copies.
3 comments:
What I liked, when I read Alone:
"...all you see is an old sage, something this country could never produce.”
I liked that too--it's very Lorrie Moore-esque.
This one too: "She and Lei could have ended their marriage on a balcony like this—on a mild day during the snow season, their last shared memories the white mountains close by, the ski lifts moving tirelessly and smoothly uphill and downhill, and small colorful dots sliding down the slopes: actions viewed from afar."
Well, I'm going to read it now. Thanks for link!!!
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