Tenth of December by George Saunders (February 2017)
My first major 'author project' of 2017 is to read all of George Saunders's published work. Most of his writing is like this collection of short fiction, Tenth of December, but he's also published novellas and the odd essay or two.
I've always meant to return to his work. The timing was right to start now, though, due to his upcoming February 17 appearance in Cambridge. (1)
My oversimplified summary of Tenth of December is that it is a collection of stories about people trying to do their best. Many of his characters make that effort despite the weight of circumstance or influence of personal history that tempts them to do otherwise.
No piece better embodied the idea for me than the title story. What an achievement this story is. I have not looked at the semi-frozen Charles River in the same way since. It's hard to write about work like this because I am afraid that my own comments will fall far short of doing it justice.
For me, the title story clarified the role my own development over the past couple of years played in how I responded to these stories. I first read Tenth of December in June of 2013. I did not get much out of the collection back then beyond the simple pleasure of enjoying his stories. My guess is that the title story made no significant impact on me at the time.
This time around, I found that this is truly a full collection, with stories equally capable of making a reader think, laugh, or cry. As I finished this book, I reflected on my own growth as a reader and as a person during the time that passed between readings.
I've always thought that I responded to the stories I saw myself reflected in. Works like Tenth of December are adding nuance to that simplistic view. I found myself relating to and understanding characters from a book that contained exactly zero people I considered similar to me.
In some way, perhaps reading books like this helps in the lifelong challenge of finding ways to relate across differences with others. The more enriching reading I do, the fuller my toolbox for relating to others becomes.
The book that acts as a mirror, serving only to return my reflection, is almost always the most enjoyable kind of work I read. But too much of it threatens to keep me locked into my current place. It's the proverbial bubble of comfort, familiarity, and fun that slowly becomes the breeding ground of complacency.
The book that forces me to understand what others see when they look into their own mirrors is the kind that I need to continue seeking out. Reading work like this, work like Tenth of December, will help me continue to build the empathy and compassion needed to meet the challenge of continuing to relate across my differences with others.
One up: Saunders is a funny writer. When I started reading one of the stories, I thought to myself, 'wait, is this the story with the chart?'. I flipped ahead and laughed out loud when I confirmed it was. I think its safe to say that a piece of writing is funny when the mere memory of it made me laugh out loud, years after I first read it.
One down: It's hard to imagine a person who would not find this book enriching. Still, I suppose the type of person who does not enjoy being called out on their own BS might find some of the characters or situations described here hit a little too close to home for their own liking.
Just saying: Let's say that the current 'political climate' makes a few of these stories more relevant today than they were a year ago.
Footnotes / imagined complaints
1. Just what does one do at one of these author appearances anyway?
The last time I checked, Saunders is scheduled to field a three hundred word (projected) question from me in addition to reading from his first novel, Lincoln In The Bardo, due for release on February 14, 2017.
