Since I read I Who Have Never Known Men, I've wanted to dig into Harpman's catalog a little bit. We Were Forbidden is a new translation of three short stories written by Harpman.
In the first story, a woman and her fellow survivors wander around a woods after having been conscripted to the military in a war, a war they haven't heard any news about in years. Is the war still ongoing? Can they leave the woods? As their clothing falls apart and their ammunition stores dwindle, what is going to happen to this group?
There's a mini-series on An Old Timey Podcast in which they talk about Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier ordered to lead guerilla warfare missions on Lubang Island in the Philippines. He was told to never surrender, so when he received word that World War II had ended, Hiroo was certain that the message was a trick. He kept fighting until 1974 – nearly 29 years after the war ended.
This short story made me think of Onoda. It's probably the strongest story in the collection.
The second story is based on Harpman's childhood, when she and her family fled to Morocco in light of the invasion of Nazi troops. In this story, the main character is punished severely for ideas she doesn't share with the Moroccans. It was also zzzzzzzzzzzzz.
The last story was confusing, but fascinating. The main character is an author and, as she's going about her daily life, she starts inventing a story and characters in her head. So it's a bit unsettling because you're going from "real" life to the invented life. Honestly, it's one of the best things I've read about the writing process. Most books on writing don't actually touch on how ideas happen - they focus on butt in seat and hours at craft - but this short story really did seem to talk about the creative process in a way that felt real.
As with most short story collections, I thought the stories varied in strength, but I'm glad I read this. Plus, it's only 90 pages long, so I finished this in an evening after dinner!
4/5 stars
Line of note:
I hadn't understood that there are moments in history when noble sentiments prevail over common sense...I had naivety and reason but no tact. It didn't occur to me that an argument that was well-founded could be controversial. (page 30)
I know this is just because of the anniversary of 9/11 recently, but I remember being so vehemently against the PATRIOT Act and it seemed like everyone around thought I had lost my mind. I was not tactful about what I thought about the government and sort of missed the memo on blind patriotism at that time in history.
Things I looked up:
humus (page 12) - dark, organic material that forms in soil when plant and animal matter decays
Giorgione's Young Man with Arrow (page 57) - an Italian Renaissance oil on panel painting created by Giorgione in 1505. It lives at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
Gros's Bonaparte at the Pont d'Arcole (page 57) - an oil-on-canvas painting executed in 1796 by the French artist Antoine-Jean Gros. It depicts an episode during the Battle of Arcole in November 1796, with General Napoleon Bonaparte leading his troops to storm the bridge. It is housed at the Palace of Versailles.
the plot of Madame Bovary (page 76) - Emma Bovary marries Charles, a fairly dull doctor. Emma's bored with her staid middle-class life and to escape this life, she has affairs with local men and runs up massive debts buying luxury items. When her lovers refuse to help her pay what she owes and her creditors close in, she kills herself by swallowing arsenic. Her heartbroken husband dies soon after discovering her betrayal, leaving their young daughter to an impoverished life. Oof. Sounds sad.
Hat mentions (why hats?):
broad-brimmed black hat (page 56, 72, and 73)
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How do you feel about short story collections? Have you ever read one where all the stories were a hit?
I rarely read short story collections. I think it's rare to find one where ALL the stories are a hit. These sound really good though!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was pretty good. I think this author is a hit for me.
DeleteI don't read enough short story collections. I have read a few where I felt like every story was good, even if I didn't think every story was perfect: Civilwarland in Bad Decline by George Saunders, A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor, The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel, and The Girl in the Flammable Skirt by Aimee Bender.
ReplyDeleteI've never even heard of these short story collections! Now I have a big old list!
DeleteI love short story collections and read them often. There are a few Alice Munro collections that are all winners in my opinion, as well as both Katherine Heiny collections. A recent one, Peacocks of Instagram, was really good - cannot remember the author, but she's Canadian. I might read this one - I especially enjoy a nice quick read!
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, I hate to admit it, but I find Munro a bit pedestrian. Don't be mad! That just means you get to read them for me.
DeleteOh, I second Aimee Bender, she’s amazing. I love her work. I also love Alice Munro. Other than those, I haven’t read a lot of short stories. This sounds like an interesting collection for sure, and I loved I Who Have Never Known Men, so maybe I’ll give this a try.
ReplyDeleteOh, Madame Bovary! Emma is such a flawed character, never does the right thing in any circumstance. Heartbreaking. She is failed by her husband, failed by her church, failed by her lover. And oh that shopping habit! The dangers of credit and ruinous interest cannot be over stressed here. I’ve been to Rouen, the big city where she did her shopping, twice. Both times I liked to imagine her there, in town for the day, shopping for beautiful drapery she cannot afford. Perhaps having a meal at La Couronne, said to be the oldest restaurant in France, opened in 1345, the restaurant where Julia Child fell in love with French cooking, Across the square from the spot where Joan of Arc was burned for heresy. Sigh. It’s a frustrating book in some ways, I want to slap her. But still, so beautifully written that it’s kind of swoony.
Yeah, in the summary I read from, Emma sounds terrible. It sounds like an early version of "women who need to get their shit together" and that's a genre I just do not vibe with. Ma'am you have a CHILD.
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