A review by hrhacissej
The Coast of Chicago by Stuart Dybek

4.0

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories even though I'm not sure that I understand a few of the endings since Dybek writes poetically. My favorite is Lights because I had totally forgotten about this childhood activity..."Lights! Your lights! Hey, lights!" Makes me smile every time I think about it. I also like the lines from Strays..."I never give any of them names. We don't know an animal's name. A name's what we use instead of smelling." Have no fear...I'll continue to name my pets lest I mortify my family.

I think Dybek really captures the essence of the near South side of Chicago. The Coast of Chicago reminded me of Sandra Cisneros' The House of Mango Street...another author/poet who writes about her hometown of Chicago.