Childhood and Other Neighborhoods by Stuart Dybek (September 2017)
Stuart Dybek’s 1980 debut collection describes Chicago from his unique, wide-ranging perspective. For me, the overall reading experience was up and down. I enjoyed the writing but at times I thought the stories were just a step beyond my reach. In a couple of cases, I felt I did not understand the story at all.
There were three stories I picked out to read a second time. Of these, I thought ‘Sauerkraut Soup’ stood out. Unusually for me, part of my appreciation was a technical element. The story winds it way back and forth through various points in time without ever losing its voice or its pace (1). I’ve come to learn how difficult this is over time. I also enjoyed the story itself a great deal.
‘The Long Thoughts’ and ‘Charity’ were my other two repeat reads. The former’s title refers to an idea I found very intriguing at first pass. My second read, however, did not add much to my initial impression. I think ‘Charity’ is perhaps the best example of a ‘short story’ (2).
It might also work as the best example of a ‘Chicago’ story Dybek is often noted for. What does it mean to refer to a story as an example of a particular place or time? My guess is as good as yours, reader.
Footnotes / imagined complaints
1. This is what I talk about when I talk about running...
Whenever I end up singing while running, the challenge is the same: how do I maintain both my voice and my pace? I'm not sure if this is a bigger test of the runner or the writer...
2. Dear diary: today, I punched in and punched out...
I admit here I am reaching a little bit in trying to describe a story without resorting to a plot summary. And to think, the post goes downhill from here!
