Customer Reviews

McSweeney's Issue 23 (Mcsweeney's Quarterly Concern)

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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Much has been said about Mcsweeney's, both on the quality of writing and design that goes into their lit mag and issue 23 once again hits the mark. Filled with fantastic stories by some little known---Shawn Vestal, Christopher Stokes, April Wilder---and some well know---Roddy Doyle, Anne Beattie---authors, issue 23 is one great story after the other. Do your self a favor and pick up this issue, one of Mcsweeney's best yet.

One of the strongest issues of the McSweeney's series. The art, first of all, is very strong, the bookcover being a poster-sized piece by artist Andrea Dezso on one side and scads of short shorts by Dave Eggers on the other. 23 is an issue worth owning, showing friends, enjoying, and reading repeatedly.

In this issue, the Unknowns outclass and outwrite the Knowns, with two utter homeruns from Wells Tower and Chris Bachelder and superb stories by Shawn Vestal, Deb Olin Unferth, Christopher Stokes, April Wilder, and Caren Beilin. The Knowns--Roddy Doyle and Ann Beattie--turn in some duds (Beattie's is super rotten), but the wealth of much stronger work easily eclipses those two lows.

Stories include the original version of "Retreat" by Tower, told from the other brother's perspective (a nice companion piece/B-side to Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned), Bachelder's uproarious letter from a father to his son to live a life more lecherous than his own, Stokes' story of Michael Rockefeller bumblingly visiting Irian Jaya, Wilder's steakhouse date story forgivable for being a date story by being terrifically uncomfortable, and Unferth's tale of a man who chances upon a new bride on his way to pick up his first. Eggers' short shorts are almost entirely hits, funny and poignant as short shorts are supposed to be.

McSweeney's always manages to have some fascinating content, even if it is periodically hit-or-miss. #23 however, is a home-run. There isn't a dull story in the bunch and it ranks up there probably in my top 3 issues. Highest rec.

McSweeney's 23 is a large hardback book (written on the cover is "Still going strong... like Castro") with a wraparound cover designed by Andrea Dezso which unfolds into a massive poster which on the flipside has dozens of short short stories by Dave Eggers. The poster is ace but I didn't read any of the short stories by Eggers as it's just uncomfortable and awkward holding a piece of paper that big and squinting at the spiralling paragraphs. The ones I read were so so. Andrea Deszo also designs front and back covers for each short story within which is very cool.

Though of the 10 stories within I only really liked Deb Olin Unferth's "Bride" about a deluded man who heads off to meet his ex-girlfriend years after they've broken up to see if she'll leave her husband and kids and run off with him. Along the way he picks up a madwoman about to get married and finally arrive at the ex-girlfriend's house. The ending is great and the whole story is original and funny.

It's the only good story here. Wells Tower's "Retreat" is like the story in his book "Everything Ravaged..." except it's told from the point of view of the other brother. This would be interesting except very few new details emerge and so the story doesn't really need to be written. Having read this same story now twice, it's good but really only the first time.

Roddy Doyle's "Black Hoodie" is good as always while there are a couple of average stories like Shawn Vestal's "About As Fast As This Car Will Go" about a young boy whose felon father takes his own scamming and eventually swallows up his life in crime with a holdup. Chris Bachelder's "My Son, There Exists Another World Alongside Our Own" really only just says "have sex a lot" which I'm going to assume most people already know (although I'm sure some of the really bookish out there are probably asexual like Henry James and will probably dismiss the story) and so seems a bit pointless.

Mostly a token effort, this issue looks good and is produced to a high standard but the stories are a bit of a let down and ultimately might put you off McSweeney's for a couple of years. McSweeney's 29 is brilliant and I recommend checking that out instead.

This book was in excellent condition!!! There were a few dog-eared pages but only a few. This was a gift and the receiver was very impressed that I was able to find the book and it still had a cover:) Very satisfied:)