Customer Reviews

And He Tells the Little Horse the Whole Story (Johns Hopkins: Poetry and Fiction)

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A brilliant collection by a gifted writer. Bathelme's characters are fully developed; they are people you can imagine meeting off the page. A good read, highly recommended.

Which is more than I can say for Mr. Callan's unremarkable review. Commenting on a book ten years after seems a bit precious, not to mention disingenuous. Ray Carver tells the story of Donald Barthelme (Steve's oldest brother), whom Ray spotted at a party, not long after Carver had written a not-glowing review of Don's story collections. Feeling bad, trying to remain well hidden in the room, Carver nevertheless managed to hear Barthelme remark to a friend, "When I don't like a book, I try to surround it with a generous silence."

It's hard enough to write a decent sentence without the Callan's of the world lining up to criticize your work without a moment's pause, ten years after the fact, from some college memory bank....

I know Steve Barthelme. Steve Barthelme is a friend of mine. Mr. Callan, you're no Steve Barthelme.

Readers who want to see what Steve Barthelme is up to lately will want to read a book co-written with his other brother Frederick, called Double Down--the remarkable true story of two grief stricken brothers, Frederick and Steve, dealing with the loss of their parents, and in the process managing to lose a quarter million dollars gambling in Biloxi. A terrifying, yet in the end, redemptive sory, from two of the finest writers we have.

Buy the book.

I'm told that Steve Barthelme is actually a brother to the much better known Fred and Don. I briefly read this book about 10 years ago (when I was in college and reading A LOT), so I don't remember it particularly well. But I think that's the point. It struck me as being competent but ultimately quite mundane. If you're a hard-core Barthelme completionist, I might get it. Otherwise I wouldn't bother.