Gray serves up a dazzling mixture of social realism, sexual comedy,science fiction, and satire here. A New York Times Notabale Book of the Year, this is a "highly imaginative" (Newark Star-Ledger) collection of stories from "one of the sprightliest and wittiest of living prose writers" (San Francisco Chronicle). Illustrated by the Author.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Scottish author Gray (Poor Things) offers his latest collection of short stories, complete with his own quirky illustrations.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Venturing into a bizarre, malproportioned world, Gray's stories beggar categorization. They're a fake of the real, in keeping with the title's paradox; beyond that, they share only phantasms that leave an absurd satisfaction in reading. Ever been hostage to a dentist's palaver? "The Trendelenburg Position" relives, not relieves, the agony in 10 pages. Ever enjoy a drink in solitude in a tavern, while feeling close to God? "Are You a Lesbian?" alludes to what the outside world may think of the sight. In such strange but creative directions, Gray bends his imagination in these 14 tales (not 10--he fooled us again), from sf situations (a runaway train of the future) to a satirically scientific one in which a man uses "Baconian Induction" to solve the mystery of who put chewing gum between his toes. The lovelorn need not be forlorn in Gray's hands, either, for he serves a few romantic imbroglios in an appropriately existential sauce. Plainly written, partially fathomable, and distinctively quirky, these are stories for cutting-edge tastes. Gilbert Taylor
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intelligent stories -- very Gray,
This review is from: Ten Tales Tall And True (Paperback)
This volume (which contains more than ten short stories, by the way) feels like a younger cousin to his earlier Unlikely Stories Mostly. Gray create intelligent stories that are sometimes odd, sometimes enigmatic, often subtle, and occasionally quite over the top. If you're familiar with Gray, this book continues in the spirit of his other work.If you're not familiar with Gray, you should know that Gray writes, illustrates, and lays out his own books. He treats the book as a single physical artifact by paying attention to issues like pagination, layout, and integration of covers and title pages into the artistic whole of the book. If you like that kind of thing, he's worth looking at. If you like contemporary authors like William Gass or John Gardner, give him a try. For most readers Gray needs some easing into, and I would recommend you start with this book or Unlikely Stories Mostly.
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