Customer Reviews

What He's Poised to Do: Stories (P.S.)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked this slim collection of short stories up on a hung over whim at a small Brooklyn book store and very quickly realized that I had made a wise decision. Greenman, who is an editor at The New Yorker, employs a quirky, effective literary technique of posing the stories as chronicles of romantic correspondences in times past, present and future. Illustrating an insight that can occasionally be a tad uncomfortable, each story is delivered with a keen understanding of what makes us smile, cry and what turns us on. As much as I would like to offer a comparison to another author I simply feel that this would do Mr. Greenman a disservice as his voice rings in a tone apart from any that I have come across. But if I had to make an attempt, "What He's Poised To Do" reads like the offering of an Ann Beattie/Donald Barthelme literary love child. From the existential angst of "Against Samantha" to the bittersweet nostalgia of "What We Believe But Cannot Praise" this is a winning volume of smart fiction.

Greenman devises a kaleidoscopic collection of lust and disillusionment in "What He's Poised to do". Epistolary time travel, and stylistically varied prose captivate and lead to excessive underlining of artful passages.

This is just the most wonderful little book of short stories. It touched me in so many ways. It was sensitive, funny and provocative. It was beautifully written and when I finished it I was sad because that was it-it was over. I think that's a sign of a good book. I know I will read this book again because I loved the characters.

Anyone who doesn't own a copy of this book is half the person they are meant to be. Seriously, I'm a longtime fan of Mr. Greenman's prose. I had thought I preferred his nonfiction in The New Yorker but man was I wrong. I don't know why this is called fiction when it's packed with truths.