A collection of short stories. The beginning part (perhaps first half), is full of light, breathing, beautiful collection of stories. Poignant sketches of art and artists, and the making of art. Really enjoyed 'The Doll's House'. But then one story caught me the wrong way (The Locomotive) and I had to abandon the collection for a while. Some of the stories in the collection are quite sad. It is a mixed bag eventually, but still, enjoyed the different perspectives, different lives it presented. Each story is very different from another.
Following from a sketch about a cartoonist:
"As Stein worked on Blubby, Allington grew more and more real to him. Allington not coming up with ideas and staring down at the street through the grey window panes, Allington brewing tea and rooting around in his drawers, answering the phone or completely forgotten between deadlines, Allington famous and worn out. Did he feel lonely, or was he wary of people? Did he work better in the mornings or later when the paper was quiet? What did he do when he got stuck, or did he work at a steady pace for twenty years? Now I need to be careful, Sam Stein thought. I mustn’t romanticize him."
Following from the wonderful story, The Doll's House, where a retired wood-worker begins on an intricate project at home, which takes over his waking hours, his living space, his attention, his ambition, everything, and yet, the story has a charm of its own:
"Alexander was in the grip of a passion for perfection. He was not aware of how closely, how perilously, perfectionism and fanaticism are related."
One of the other really short story, A sense of time, is poignant. It leaves you wondering about reality, about what you've just read, about what is truth.
"Grandmother’s private, interior world must be very strong if she can so serenely deny the sun and the moon. I wonder what it is that shines for her and makes her so terribly certain and calm."
I read this after reading VW's Monday or Tuesday, and very few books can be compared to that.
