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annevoi's review
4.0
I have a general practice that I'm trying to keep up, of reading at least one short story or essay or cluster of poems every day. I have many, many volumes to choose from (some of which are Best of . . . collections), and my typical approach is to randomly open to one. I get a variety that way.
These past couple of weeks, though, I've been focusing on this single volume by Karen Bender, which was a finalist for the 2015 National Book Award. Her writing is strong and rich, her characters believable, the situations an interesting balance of realistic and yet slightly over the top. Money—not enough—is often a theme, or more generally "the space between desire and satisfaction" as Andrea Barrett puts it on the jacket blurb. Bender's view is both bleak and humorous, but above all, full of humanity.
I started out flagging passages I especially liked, but stopped about halfway through. By then the overall emotional tenor had hit a steady pitch, so even though the beautiful writing continued, the message was more or less the same: life isn't always easy; connection can be mysterious; disappointment seems always to be just around the corner; life is full of longing. Here are two representative bits:
"They had moved to a midsize city in South Carolina. It was not their first choice, and they did not know if they would ever feel at home there, but they could afford, finally, a small house as well as a car. They had found their own happiness, weighted by resignation: that were who they were, that they could never truly know the thoughts of another person, that their love was bruised by the carelessness of their own parents (his mother, her father); that they would wander the world in their dreams with ghostly, intangible lovers, that their children would move from adoration of them to fury, that they and their parents would die in different cities, they they would never accomplish anything that would leave any lasting mark on the world. They had longed for this, from the first lonely moment of their childhoods when they realized they could not marry their fathers or mothers, through the burning romanticism of their teens, to the bustling search of their twenties, and there was the faint regret that this tumult and exhaustion was what they had longed for too, and soon it would be gone."
Or simply: "What did one owe for being alive? What was the right way to breathe, to taste a strawberry, to love?"
These past couple of weeks, though, I've been focusing on this single volume by Karen Bender, which was a finalist for the 2015 National Book Award. Her writing is strong and rich, her characters believable, the situations an interesting balance of realistic and yet slightly over the top. Money—not enough—is often a theme, or more generally "the space between desire and satisfaction" as Andrea Barrett puts it on the jacket blurb. Bender's view is both bleak and humorous, but above all, full of humanity.
I started out flagging passages I especially liked, but stopped about halfway through. By then the overall emotional tenor had hit a steady pitch, so even though the beautiful writing continued, the message was more or less the same: life isn't always easy; connection can be mysterious; disappointment seems always to be just around the corner; life is full of longing. Here are two representative bits:
"They had moved to a midsize city in South Carolina. It was not their first choice, and they did not know if they would ever feel at home there, but they could afford, finally, a small house as well as a car. They had found their own happiness, weighted by resignation: that were who they were, that they could never truly know the thoughts of another person, that their love was bruised by the carelessness of their own parents (his mother, her father); that they would wander the world in their dreams with ghostly, intangible lovers, that their children would move from adoration of them to fury, that they and their parents would die in different cities, they they would never accomplish anything that would leave any lasting mark on the world. They had longed for this, from the first lonely moment of their childhoods when they realized they could not marry their fathers or mothers, through the burning romanticism of their teens, to the bustling search of their twenties, and there was the faint regret that this tumult and exhaustion was what they had longed for too, and soon it would be gone."
Or simply: "What did one owe for being alive? What was the right way to breathe, to taste a strawberry, to love?"
shewwimonster's review
5.0
This was a sprawling read for me as I read a story or two here and there, so I can't write as detailed a review as I wanted to as I was reading. I'll just say that a greatly enjoyed this collection. Of course, some stories are stronger than others because it always happens that way, but they were all interesting and full of poignant, emotional moments. I felt really connected to the characters and their emotional responses to situations. My favorite story in the collection was the title story, "Refund."
slider9499's review
3.0
Excellent writing, but I found the stories a bit empty and inconsistent. Open ended endings are really not my thing. Once and awhile they're OK, but the vast majority of the endings simply leave the reader hanging. The hype on the book jacket made it sound like this was one of the best books of short stories ever put to paper. Although good, and I do recommend it, the hyperbole overshadowed the actual content.
grneggsngoetta's review
4.0
Really, the only reason this isn't getting five stars is because I want to know whether or not all the stories take place in the same world and there isn't an answer. Otherwise, very well done. The desperation and loneliness sort of remind me of Miranda July's characters, but more artistic.
reebeee's review
Excellently and movingly written—the stories are unflinching in their depiction of humanity and its intricacies. Ended up being too depressing for me without enough of a creative payoff, but I would high recommend to readers who enjoy detailed realism and don't mind a series of unresolved and sad/poignant endings.
sophiei's review
4.0
Great short story collection all centered around money, dynamic relationships, and interesting characters. Wonderful.
kate_elizabeth's review
3.0
Favorite stories: Refund, This Cat
A sad, haunting, heart-wrenching collection, maybe more for me specifically. Karen Bender lives in Wilmington, and some of her stories take place there (though they don't mention it by name), and it's strange to read about a place I lived and loved and only recently vacated, to peek into sad lives being lived there. These stories hurt; they ask questions about life and death and the purpose of it all, and they do it in a lovely way.
That being said, I do not, however, think that Karen Bender should be allowed to own a cat, really.
A sad, haunting, heart-wrenching collection, maybe more for me specifically. Karen Bender lives in Wilmington, and some of her stories take place there (though they don't mention it by name), and it's strange to read about a place I lived and loved and only recently vacated, to peek into sad lives being lived there. These stories hurt; they ask questions about life and death and the purpose of it all, and they do it in a lovely way.
That being said, I do not, however, think that Karen Bender should be allowed to own a cat, really.