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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Something for everyone,
By "khruntpig" (Brighton, MA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Piranha to Scurfy: And Other Stories (Hardcover)
It's been a long time since Ruth Rendell published a book of short stories, but _Piranha to Scurfy_ is worth the wait. There is plenty to like here; although the nine stories (including the novellas "High Mysterious Union," and "Piranha to Scurfy") have their high and low points, overall they make an interesting and entertaining addition to Rendell's work.I should say at the beginning that I do not believe, as some seem to do, that Ruth Rendell's work is in any way in decline. Though _The Chimney Sweeper's Boy_ and _Harm Done_ will never rank among my favorite Rendell novels, I don't believe that they are on any different literary level from her books of five or ten years ago, and I freely admit to preferring her most recent work to earlier books like _One Across, Two Down_. I think Rendell's prolificacy leaves her books susceptible to uneven quality. Additionally, her affinity for writing and plotting in several different styles means that many readers will not like all of her books. The title story, called "Piranha to Scurfy" in the Rendellian tradition of the initially incomprehensible title, is a claustrophobic story of paranoia and obsessive compulsion that reminded me initially of earlier Rendell books like _The Bridesmaid_ and _Talking to Strange Men_ but an important difference soon became apparent; there is a surprisingly funny side to "Piranha to Scurfy." The protagonist is so unattractive, so irritating, that it is nearly impossible for the reader to feel empathy for him. "Piranha to Scurfy" does not force the reader to align herself with the protagonist/murderer in this story as she has in some of her other work; the dramatic depth of this story is therefore less than in a book like _Live Flesh_ but judged on its own merits and as a story which is intended to be humorous, "Piranha to Scurfy" succeeds. Of the shorter stories, "Catamount" was an enjoyable story that illustrated something that every horror movie viewer knows to be true: just because you know what's going to happen doesn't mean it won't scare the bejesus out of you when it does. "Walter's Leg" was funny, and almost something of a tease on Rendell's part; sometimes, she seems to say, nothing really terrible happens. "Fair Exchange" reminded me of some of the occult-inspired short stories of Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie. "The Professionals" was an interesting portrait of not-quite-cheeky-enough bootblack and a brief case study of class in that bizarre microcosm, the department store. Some of the stories were less satisfying; "The Wink" was a story about revenge, but not a particularly spectacular or satisfying revenge. "The Astronomical Scarf," reminded me of a 7th grade essay written from the point of view of Ben Franklin's pocket watch and seemed to get bogged down occasionally. "The Beach Butler" was well written, the characters quickly and skillfully drawn but seemed to lack resolution. "High Mysterious Union," the eighty-page novella that finishes the book was a departure from the rest of Piranha to Scurfy, and not just because of its greater length. It doesn't share the humor present in the other stories and the writing is more studied than that in the rest of the book. The narrator and her friend are strangers in a small village, but the villagers are very much outsiders to normal society. The unusual behavior of the villagers and the choices forced upon the outsiders are thought provoking and reminded me of a fleshed-out scenario from a "Book of Questions." What would you do? Why? The story seems to want to know. Taken as a whole, Piranha to Scurfy is even more engaging than its component stories. Rendell demonstrates her facility for writing from several different viewpoints and in several different styles. Additionally, Piranha to Scurfy shows a sense of humor often absent from Rendell's non-Wexford stories, and the excellent craftsmanship we have come to expect from Rendell's work. Though even longtime Rendell fans may not like every story in the book, this volume contains a selection from which almost anyone should be able to find something they like.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rendell at her best,
By
This review is from: Piranha to Scurfy: And Other Stories (Hardcover)
In her latest collection of sories, Ruth Rendell explores again some of the invisible traits in our nature. While some of the stories deal with the unusual or with borderline personalities, the rest take an ordinary event or person and show us the dark inside. What has always amazed me in Rendell's books is her ability to convey violence in actions and emotions without actually describing violent events or behaviors. And she does it again in this short story format.It is always refreshing to get a mystery/suspense collection that is built on a more elaborate scheme than a juxtaposition of good and bad.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Seven Good Stories Bordered by Two Great Ones,
By
This review is from: Piranha to Scurfy: And Other Stories (Paperback)
Of the nine stories in this collection, the seven in the middle are good. Some of them are very good. But the stories that open and close the collection are great. Rendell has the ability to put people in strange situations and make us feel what they feel: danger, fear, panic, disgust, or just plain unease. Her stories have a sense of justice. We see someone doing something they shouldn't and a part of us wants justice. Rendell knows how to write such a story and make it thoroughly satisfying. The title story focuses on a young man named Ribbon. Ribbon is well-off, not filthy rich, but well-off. He spends his time reading novels, examining their grammatical and factual inaccuracies, and writing letters to the publishers and authors involved. He's the original literary snob (and a real jerk). But who can blame him? His mother taught him this behavior, after all. Ah, but she's no longer with Ribbon. And when a book by a despised author takes on a life of its own, Ribbon doesn't know where to turn. But it's silly to be harassed by a book...isn't it? The final story, "High Mysterious Union," is a story that works on many levels. It's a great story, but it also speaks to our society and how we view culture, community, and sex. Ben is a writer who stays in a friend's cottage in a British village to work on a manuscript. Ben becomes obsessed with one of the local girls, a young local girl. Ben's almost old enough to be her father. You might think this is a typical Lolita-type story, but you soon realize that's not it at all. It's an amazing story, one of those that stays with you long after you've finished reading it.
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