Some believe the weaving of short stories to be a dying art or conceivably worse, the outcome of a novel that met an untimely demise. Although one can hardly deny the pleasure of having a tale unfold over time, when executed correctly, a short story can hold more intimacy for the reader.
The Book of Other People is a collection stories by 23 different authors, including Zadie Smith who collected and edited the anthology.
From David Mitchell’s desperately lonely and socially inept Judith, who opens up the collection, to Edwidge Danticat’s captivating Lélé, all stories are character driven and adhere to the collection’s simple brief of “making somebody up.”
But make no mistake a straightforward guideline does not make for trite and predictable narratives. Authors Chris Ware, Daniel Clowes and Nick Hornby, for example, all employ illustrations to bring their protagonists to life. And some characters such as Toby Litt’s “ Monster” and George Saunders’ “Puppy” aren’t even human.
What makes this collection strong is the familiarity evoked.
The comedic diatribe from Jonathan Safran Foer’s Rhoda, who informs you tactlessly that your brother is growing a “bosom” and has no qualms lamenting that your problem is that your wife is too intelligent, reminds you of that fussy relative who stuffs you with food, spends hours reminiscing and believes to have all the answers.
That restless college friend who leaps from dream to dream, man to man and place to place easily materializes in Vandela Vida’s portrayal of Soleil. With eyes the colour of nutmeg peeking from a flirty teenager’s swagger, Soleil wraps her heartbreak and insecurities around a carefree attitude.
And maybe you can even catch a glimpse of yourself in a character or two. Perhaps once you were bursting with political idealism as ZZ Packer’s Gideon, a Jewish boy with a crazy Afro and a “smile that unfolds like origami”. Forever eloquent, Gideon wants to do the “right thing” when it seems his black girlfriend might be pregnant and always hopes “that the words would do the chasing for him”.
Or maybe a long time ago you with a home in a “orangey- pink stucco apartment building” met a Hollywood star like Miranda July’s Roy Spivey on a plane ride. A memorable time was had and caught up in the promise of a connection he scribbled down his number. But you of course couldn’t believe he really meant for you to call. So years after, now with a husband and a family, you realize that perhaps, just perhaps, he meant you to dial those numbers, but by then it was too late. “ I had waited too long.”
All in all, some characters you cross paths with in this collection will make you smile, others will make you a little uneasy, and then there are few that will leave you feeling lost and melancholic. And through it all you will be reminded that Other people and their problems look a lot like yours, just under a different light.
All proceeds from the volume benefit 826NYC, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and inspiring children aged six to eighteen with their creative writing skills.
