A review by dane_h
Anagrams by Lorrie Moore

3.0

This is an innovative and exciting way to tell a story, or more specifically a series of short stories: by creating anagrams out of the same two people's lives, Lorrie Moore tinkers with all the possible ways a relationship, career, and life trajectory can play out, through tones of disappointment, longing, happiness, or boredom - all presented in the same vessels that are Benna and Gerard. Plus, it's all delivered in Moore's prose, which is possibly the best prose out there. The only problem is that, after zipping through several great iterations of these characters' lives, Moore suddenly hunkers down with the characters for a 120 page novella, and it happens to be the most boring iteration in the whole set: Gerard is a failed lounge singer, and Benna is a miserable, bored, and boring community college teacher. This whole final section was a real slog. Oh well. I'll be reading other Moore regardless, because I can't resist more of that gorgeous, funny, true writing.