From Publishers Weekly
In this marvelously original collection, Finger (
Basic Skills) explores the nature and function of legendary outcasts, from Goliath, initially ridiculed for his giantism before he became a savior of the Philistines, to Vincent Van Gogh, tortured madman and impoverished artist caught in a bureaucratic vacuum as he waits for his Social Security benefits. In Helen and Frida, Finger imagines with absurd relish Helen Keller and Frida Kahlo featured in the same empowering movie (Helen is played by Jean Harlow). In The Artist and the Dwarf, Finger configures an elaborate inner life for the dwarf Mari Barbola in Velázquez's
Las meninas, juxtaposed with the dialogue between a medical illustrator in Auschwitz and her doomed subject, the famous circus dwarf Lia Graf. Most ambitious is Moby Dick, or the Leg, in which Finger suggests a touching, untoward intimacy between Ishmael and Captain Ahab. Brisk, inventive and intelligent, these stories do their own thing, and do it well.
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Review
"In this marvelously original collection, Finger explores the nature and function of legendary outcasts, from Goliath, initially ridiculed for his giantism before he became a savior of the Philistines, to Vincent Van Gogh, tortured madman and impoverished artist caught in a bureaucratic vacuum as he waits for his Social Security benefits. . . . Brisk, inventive and intelligent, these stories do their own thing, and do it well."—Publishers Weekly
(
Publishers Weekly 20090716)
"Anne Finger’s award-winning Call Me Ahab showcases a plethora of historical and literary characters—each of whom is in some way disabled—and imagines new scenarios for their lives. . . . It is a cheering section for the forgotten and under-appreciated and a testament to creativity, whimsy, and intellect."—Eleanor J. Bader, Feminist Review
(Eleanor J. Bader
Feminist Review 20091118)
"Finger''s unabashedly bold tales creatively reimagine outcasts real and invented."—Leah Strauss, Booklist
(Leah Strauss
Booklist 20100201)
"Finger is a talented storyteller, delivering voices and situations with smooth conviction. The scenes she creates jump time and place without jarring the reader. . . . Finger has strength in her storytelling, and hopefully that strength will reach a wide audience."—Amy Halloran, themillions.com
(Amy Halloran
themillions.com )
"A fascinating glimpse into the varieties of human difference."—Ben Hamilton, PopMatters.com
(Ben Hamilton
PopMatters.com )
"Refusing to smooth over the idiosyncrasies of history and human life, she has, instead, successfully written her text with them."—Alyssa Pelish, Rain Taxi
(Alyssa Pelish
Rain Taxi )
