"Ex-files" are becoming something of a folk institution on the Web, where an ever-increasing number of personal Web sites reveal stories about ex-lovers for the reading enjoyment of Websurfers. In this book, some of today's best new writers give a decidedly literary twist to this phenomenon, providing a multifaceted view of past loves and the way they haunt the present. The contributors include both established talent such as David Foster Wallace, Dorothy Allison and Junot Díaz, and lesser-known but critically acclaimed newcomers like David Means, Ben Marcus, and Amy Sohn. Their stories range from nostalgic memoirs to humorous tales to dark accounts of violence and obsession. Representing voices both male and female, young and old, gay and straight, they illustrate the infinite variations of misadventures of the heart and their often unexpected consequences.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
An arch, elegant collection of short stories about "the trials and tribulations of love at the lip of the millennium" -- breakupgirl.com, February 11, 2000
Turning to a book of stories about ex-lovers, you might ask yourself what you want from stories about ex-lovers. A wailing country song or a Latin revenge scenario are good places to start, but it's also understandable if you want an exorcism -- what Frank Sinatra could have used when he moaned to his pack, "Ava! Why can't I get this girl out of my plasma!?"....In "The Ex-Files," editor Blake Ferris has assembled what must be history's first anthology of screeds and homilies to former boy and girlfriends.This love 'em and leave 'em jungle spares no one. As Ferris puts it matter-of-factly, "If you don't have at least a few notches in your lipstick case, you're a loser." It's not so much unforgettable characters that generate tension for these authors, but a bind. Call it the need for notches, and the parallel dream of the Final Notch. -- Virginia Heffernan, salon.com, Feb. 14, 2000
Turning to a book of stories about ex-lovers, you might ask yourself what you want from stories about ex-lovers. A wailing country song or a Latin revenge scenario are good places to start, but it's also understandable if you want an exorcism -- what Frank Sinatra could have used when he moaned to his pack, "Ava! Why can't I get this girl out of my plasma!?"....In "The Ex-Files," editor Blake Ferris has assembled what must be history's first anthology of screeds and homilies to former boy and girlfriends.This love 'em and leave 'em jungle spares no one. As Ferris puts it matter-of-factly, "If you don't have at least a few notches in your lipstick case, you're a loser." It's not so much unforgettable characters that generate tension for these authors, but a bind. Call it the need for notches, and the parallel dream of the Final Notch. -- Virginia Heffernan, salon.com, Feb. 14, 2000
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent collection,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Ex-Files: New Stories About Old Flames (Paperback)
I began reading this book with low expectations. A number of the contributors were unknown to me, nearly half of the stories have been published before elsewhere, and "failed love" seems like such a tired theme. But after reading a few stories (specifically, by the time I finished Maggie Estep's story) I was quite impressed. It's fascinating to read these stories in sequence, to perceive the similarities. No matter how different the setting, it seems there are certain elements of tone and mood that persist from one story to the next.My favorites were the clever, evocative pieces by Junot Diaz, Susan Perabo, and the previously unknown-to-me Evany Thomas. The book contains quite a few other gems as well, in addition to just a few failures--notably Paulina Borsook's flabby story, which for some reason is allowed not only to run 20 pages but then to leave off in the middle, to be continued online at the publisher's web site. The editor, also-unknown Blake Ferris (pseudonym?), has for the most part chosen excellent stories, but apparently neglected to copyedit them: the book is littered with typographical and layout errors, enough to bother even such a hardcore non-perfectionist as myself. Hopefully these will be corrected in a second printing. But despite these shortcomings, the book's marvelous, emotional moments and revelatory humor make it well worth owning, reading, and rereading. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Witty collection of short stories!,
This review is from: The Ex-Files: New Stories About Old Flames (Paperback)
I loved the witty short stories in this book. They show a more thorough and less sentimental look at past relationships. Some stories were better than others, but one thing is certain: you will see yourself in more than just one of the stories. If you enjoy reading about relationships as much as I do, you'd love this!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Addictive,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Ex-Files: New Stories About Old Flames (Paperback)
I couldn't stop reading...what a delicious collection of stories! I am so tired of sappy writing about love, how refreshing it was to read these smart reflections. Erotic, hopeful, sad, beautiful, wistful, happy--all tumbled into a tangle of stories connected by a theme with a twist and the keen perceptions of this talented group of writers. I am left hungry for more...
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