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A review by kawai
Corpus Christi by Bret Anthony Johnston
4.0
Most people who follow even just a clutch of literary magazines are familiar with Bret Anthony Johnston's stories, which consistently grace the "Best Of" anthology, while also appearing in a wide range of magazines, including Ploughshares, The Paris Review, and others.
And much like that work, this (now early) volume in Johnston's career shows off what he's best at: writing about the raw and painful thoughts that come in the quiet moments of lives that are being pushed to the point of breaking.
And while the collection can start to feel a bit redundant if you read it straight through--almost every family has at least one of its nuclear members dead or on the way out, the protagonists are all insightful and shy young men, ethnic/economic markers are minimal, illness tends to be the fulcrum of the plot--it is, nonetheless, incredibly tender and moving.
Johnston's work has only gotten better since this collection, but all his best tools are on display here, as well: Great dialogue, effective and strategic use of simile/metaphor, diamond-sharp exposition. Well worth the read, whether you're familiar with his more recent work or not.
And much like that work, this (now early) volume in Johnston's career shows off what he's best at: writing about the raw and painful thoughts that come in the quiet moments of lives that are being pushed to the point of breaking.
And while the collection can start to feel a bit redundant if you read it straight through--almost every family has at least one of its nuclear members dead or on the way out, the protagonists are all insightful and shy young men, ethnic/economic markers are minimal, illness tends to be the fulcrum of the plot--it is, nonetheless, incredibly tender and moving.
Johnston's work has only gotten better since this collection, but all his best tools are on display here, as well: Great dialogue, effective and strategic use of simile/metaphor, diamond-sharp exposition. Well worth the read, whether you're familiar with his more recent work or not.