This is my bingo square for “Two heads are better than one” as a friend recommended this as a book club selection that we never actually got together to discuss. I was not the only speed bump, there was much Facebook chatter from the group about who was attending and who’d read the book. One party was on the fence about whether to start. John and I had read it. So here’s our exchange:
Me: I was… not a fan. I liked a couple stories but really felt like there was a lot of randomness masquerading as depth. I don’t need everything spelled out for me, but some stories felt opaque for opacity’s sake, and chilly to boot.
John: interesting! I may have too much appetite for opacity; I loved several of the stories. In particular, “lull,” “Stone animals,” and “magic for beginners.” Matt, it’s 1-1 so far.
I might just be salty, but I think it’s telling that this is where the discussion ended.
In general, I don’t have patience for things that are cold and surreal for the sake of style alone, it just reads flat to me, and animate statues and purses that swallow suboptimal men don’t make me interested enough to pay attention to characters I have no emotional attachment to.
But hey, Link got a MacArthur grant, so what do I know?
These stories made me so mad. She would lure me in with something interesting and then pivot to something absurd that I didn’t care about. I don’t need to read something that’s weird just for the sake of being weird, it’s just too annoying.
Link won the MaArthur grant?
I run so hot and cold with her. When I like her stories I really like them, when I don’t… I’m annoyed and want to kick things.