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A review by book_beat
Mink River by Brian Doyle
5.0
“Human people, says Moses, think that stories have beginnings and middles and ends, but we crow people know that stories just wander on and on and change form and are reborn again and again. That is who they are. Stories are not only words, you know. Words are just the clothes that people drape on stories. When crows tell stories, stories tell us, do you know what I mean? That’s just how it is with crow people.” — MINK RIVER
About thirteen years ago, I read a short story entitled JOYAS VOLADORAS by Brian Doyle. It is short as short fiction goes — only three pages in length — but I returned to it again and again. Flying jewels, hummingbird heart beats, the weight of a short life. The story never left me.
I was starting to fall into a reading rut last week. I read a few hyped books and found them lacking, draining. And JOYAS VOLADORAS popped into my head. Has Doyle written anything I might enjoy? And this question, this simple three page story, led me to MINK RIVER.
MINK RIVER is set on the Oregon Coast. It is bursting with magical realism, moving prose, and unforgettable characters. That quote above? That’s Moses the philosophizing crow. And there’s Worried Man and Cedar who are best friends that run the Department of Public Works. And Michael the policeman who sings Puccini, only Puccini. And so many more.
Doyle has a way with words and stories that is unlike anything I’ve ever read. He understands nature and can describe the minuscule aspects of life that make us feel most human and most alive. But he injects mystical elements that feel so natural, you can’t help but to believe they are real: life CAN be lived and enhanced with a philosophizing crow.
Parts of the storytelling reminded me of Wendell Berry’s writing. Doyle gets at the essence of this town, how all the people are interconnected and dependent upon each other — it is little odd and very beautiful.
About thirteen years ago, I read a short story entitled JOYAS VOLADORAS by Brian Doyle. It is short as short fiction goes — only three pages in length — but I returned to it again and again. Flying jewels, hummingbird heart beats, the weight of a short life. The story never left me.
I was starting to fall into a reading rut last week. I read a few hyped books and found them lacking, draining. And JOYAS VOLADORAS popped into my head. Has Doyle written anything I might enjoy? And this question, this simple three page story, led me to MINK RIVER.
MINK RIVER is set on the Oregon Coast. It is bursting with magical realism, moving prose, and unforgettable characters. That quote above? That’s Moses the philosophizing crow. And there’s Worried Man and Cedar who are best friends that run the Department of Public Works. And Michael the policeman who sings Puccini, only Puccini. And so many more.
Doyle has a way with words and stories that is unlike anything I’ve ever read. He understands nature and can describe the minuscule aspects of life that make us feel most human and most alive. But he injects mystical elements that feel so natural, you can’t help but to believe they are real: life CAN be lived and enhanced with a philosophizing crow.
Parts of the storytelling reminded me of Wendell Berry’s writing. Doyle gets at the essence of this town, how all the people are interconnected and dependent upon each other — it is little odd and very beautiful.