Customer Reviews

Between Camelots (Pitt Drue Heinz Lit Prize)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although the book is billed as a collection of literary fiction, and I have no doubt it fits that bill, this self-proclaimed lover of trashy mystery novels found it absolutely wonderful. The stories are quick reads but the language is so rich and evocative you feel like you must have read more pages than you did to feel as involved as you do. Fantastic. A perfect gift for all the loved ones in your life. (Not to mention all of the almost-loved ones you have just missed in your life.)

This first collection is sharply drawn, quietly knowing, and at times, laugh-out-loud funny. David Ebenbach writes from a kind and clear-eyed place. These stories, like many, address love and loss, connection and disconnection, but Ebenbach finds a way to steal into our hearts. Each moment is worth savoring.

Like the previous reviewer, I'm more likely to be reading mystery or fantasy than prize-winning 'serious' fiction. But I read through this in one sitting, every story getting me more engaged than the last. The author takes on perspectives that are different from my life, but in every story I see something of myself--a sentence, a feeling that resonates with me. This was a truly engaging read.

A good friend who never leads me astray when it comes to good books recommended this book to me, and I'm so glad he did. I love the very short stories in this book. I loved reading them in between the less short stories. They feel very unlabored and they work. I love how the stories tell the funny little things that happen inside peoples' heads while they're connecting or disconnecting with someone or someplace, or the idea of someone or someplace. How physically intimate people can be and yet make no real connection at all. Being deprived of what you are used to, and trying to get used to the way things have or have not become. Many, though not all of the stories deal with life's disappointments, and at the same time they are infused with a reassuring sense of humor that makes them a pleasure to read. I savored every page.

I absolutely loved the first short story, "Misdirections" and purchased the book based on that story. I think it is exquisitely crafted. You can hear the author reading it on the Morning Stories podcast from WGBH.

Unfortunately the other stories that I read (I admit I didn't finish the book) don't live up to that 1st one. The main characters tend to be depressed and alienated, living self-destructive lifestyles or having relationship issues.

The stories might work well individually, but since I tried to read them one after another I found the similarity in tone repetetive and (not surprisingly) depressing. I plan to try to finish the book some day. That first story is so good that there must be some more hidden gems in there.