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A review by hernamewaslily
Male Tears by Benjamin Myers
3.0
Male Tears is a short story collection by Benjamin Myers. One critic described Myers’s work as an example of Yorkshire Gothic, and whilst I think this does not apply to all the stories, there is definitely a gothic feel to some of them, which I really enjoyed as it created an atmosphere of uncertainty that was really compelling.
The general theme of the collection is about masculinity and many of the stories are about mans' relationship to nature and the ways in which masculinity can be defined by how men interact with it (i.e., toiling the fields, manual labour, hunting, and so on). As such, it was largely about working class men, a demographic that I feel is often ignored in contemporary fiction, popular culture, and political discourse (aside from Buzzfeed-esque, reactionary complaints against straight white men which are past the point passé now). Myers explores this fertile ground of the contemporary working class male experience with sympathy and understanding.
As with most short story collections, not every story was hitting, but a few of my favourites were:
- A Thousand Acres of English Soil
- Ten Men
- The Whip Hand
- Snorri & Frosti
A mixed reading experience but overall a worthwhile read. I’d be interested to read more of the authors work, especially his novels, because when the stories were good, they were v good in terms of their prose, characters, themes, etc.
The general theme of the collection is about masculinity and many of the stories are about mans' relationship to nature and the ways in which masculinity can be defined by how men interact with it (i.e., toiling the fields, manual labour, hunting, and so on). As such, it was largely about working class men, a demographic that I feel is often ignored in contemporary fiction, popular culture, and political discourse (aside from Buzzfeed-esque, reactionary complaints against straight white men which are past the point passé now). Myers explores this fertile ground of the contemporary working class male experience with sympathy and understanding.
As with most short story collections, not every story was hitting, but a few of my favourites were:
- A Thousand Acres of English Soil
- Ten Men
- The Whip Hand
- Snorri & Frosti
A mixed reading experience but overall a worthwhile read. I’d be interested to read more of the authors work, especially his novels, because when the stories were good, they were v good in terms of their prose, characters, themes, etc.