Customer Reviews

Johnny Too Bad: Stories

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

 

 

John Dufresne's new book of stories is much like my box of Valentine's Godiva chocolates: I want it to last Forever. I try desperately to restrain my indulgence. But the complex textures, the bite of the bittersweet, the soothing of the lush soft centers, the discordant scrape of nut against tooth like an unwelcome truth, even the crinkle of the thin slips of foil that sounds like whispers of kisses; forgotten, remembered. I put the shiny red heart box on top of the refrigerator - I put Johnny Too Bad on my nightstand. From opposite ends of the hallway they tease me. I keep responding, and I'm not sorry in the least about giving in to either. I thank all that is holy for the tiny assaults of grief and the lingering embraces of grace that John Dufresne's characters and tales weave into my life (Lemonade and Paris Buns, Lefty). They fill me up, they change me, they make me better. My prayer is that John Dufresne will give birth to more and more stories; and Soon. I'll be waiting.

Dufresne is a master storyteller. It only takes a few pages to set the theme for this collection and to establish the author's credentials in "Lemonade and Paris Buns", as four memorable children disappear into a system that has no memory of them.

This author has an extraordinary imagination, a whole world peopled by those who look like us, often verbalizing what we are unable to say, both the beauty and the dark heart of humanity: "Sometimes we`re better when we write." Generously scattered among his characters, a number of animals inhabit this landscape, especially the inimitable Spot, reminding those around them about unconditional love.

Dufresne mines his fertile imagination for ordinary citizens, old friends, murdering sociopaths, general miscreants and the hind-hearted folks who care deeply for their animals. But even here, there are aberrations, the man who puts his cancer-riddled dog down himself, the man who shoots his dog for disobeying. This is the territory of ordinary lives, where every day is filled with personal intimacies and dealings with strangers, every conversation an opportunity for another story, extrapolating on a theme, adding the details that ring true. The quirky, the odd, the unusual all mix with the mundane elements of life, the small moments that are memorable for their honesty and compassion.

From the wealth of their experiences, Dufresne's characters make unexpected observations, reacting to the changing conditions of their lives, ambiguous and boring for some, taken from others through random events, like Richard, "a person whose dreams are real but his hopes are not." Cancer is real and so is death; but then there are poignant introspections, islands of clarity in an often confusing world.

The title story of the collection, "Johnny Too Bad", is by far the longest and most thought-provoking, a confusion of wants, needs and possibilities, where the protagonist questions his own motives in playing "the game of undermining my own emotional prosperity". There is continuity to these stories, a thread of connectedness that makes them all of a whole, Johnny, Spot and Annick showing up periodically to struggle with their relationship and the direction of their lives. All of a piece, the disparate tales form whole cloth, an examination of the foibles and heartbreaks that define humanity and the quest for happiness, or at least contentment. Luan Gaines/2005.

Johnny Too Bad is a collection of several of the most interesting and darkest short stories I have read in a while. The characters are three-dimensional and have a great deal of humor, earnestness and an overall compelling voice that enthralled me from beginning to end. All of the eighteen stories in this collection were magnificent, but my favorites were, "Arlis and Ivy," "Congratulations, You May Already Be," "Based on a True Story," "Close By Me Forever," and "Who Are They Who Are Like Clouds?" The titles are definitely quirky, and they hook you in before you even begin to read the actual story. John Dufresne is a very interesting author and I look forward to reading more of his stuff in the future. In the meantime, I recommend this gem.

I just finished reading Dufresne's short story collection, and I'm very disappointed it's over! I loved every one of the stories, but "Died and Gone to Heaven" is my favorite. Dufresne's style is glib, catchy, and irreverent. His writing flows like water over glass as he makes his characters come vividly to life. My great hope is that I can someday write as well as he does. I met him at a writers' conference, and he's a nice guy, too!

Author John Dufresne is a sterling example of persona versus who we really are. Mr. Dufresne's reputation for generosity and imagination are legion. When he plagiarized my true crime manuscript of "Deadly Triangle:A True Story of Lies, Sports and Murder," in the short story "Based on a True Crime," he was kind enough to dedicate it For Frances Parker. Ah, but the betrayal only begins there. I contracted with Mr. Dufresne, my purported friend, to write a screenplay based on my book, then reality became fiction when he took the bows. See Parker vs. Dufresne lawsuit on the internet. Denoument is that the movie, "To Live and Die in Dixie," trite and racist title of the Confederate War song symbolizing Mr. Dufresne's true contempt for the South, the source of his fame and wealth, as lesser evolved rednecks on the evolutionary ladder. The sad ending is that a trusting, naive Southern writer gave her work to her purported friend, John Dufresne, and he betrayed her in every way. I contributed heart, soul, and substantial money to do the story, and Mr. Dufresne contributed nothing. Like I said to no avail, "No me, no story, no movie no glory." And all of Dufresne's fans must read Requiem, Massachusetts. He becomes livid and viciously punitive when one dares challenge him to do what is legal and right. His main character, a vile and delusional trailer trash psychotic, is coincidentally named Frances Packard (as in old worn out model). Ah, when we fall in love with our own ego we are unaccountable to the law, to morality, and to literary honor. The truth is on my side, and it shall prevail.