- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Turnstone Press (April 15 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 088801368X
- ISBN-13: 978-0888013682
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 16.8 x 1.4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 318 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #421,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Quill & Quire
Though the best stories in Michelle Berry’s collection I Still Don’t Even Know You begin with predictable set-ups, they go well past the point of familiarity and push the boundaries of a reader’s comfort. Readers become privy to moments of improbable connection and agonizing intimacy. These captivating stories hinge on scenes that are painful to read, yet impossible to look away from.
In the title story, in which a husband and wife spend their 10th anniversary arguing with one another, Berry employs shifting perspectives to show their simultaneous connection and division. When the wife commits a small but shocking act of violence, the husband retaliates with a single syllable, and suddenly everything they thought they knew about themselves and one another is challenged.
“Christmas Has Gone to the Dogs” depicts the isolation of characters in a hospital emergency room on Christmas Eve. Pitch-perfect dialogue captures the essence of each speaker and propels the story toward its heart-wrenching conclusion.
The stories “Martin” and “Convenience” channel Flannery O’Connor, with something unsavoury lurking beneath a homey surface. “The Good Little Girl” pivots on a moment of terror in which a young girl discovers the sinister edges of the wider world. A similar epiphany comes in “Henderson Has Scored for Canada,” which takes place during the historic 1972 Canada/USSR hockey series.
Employing sweeping omniscience and a decreased focus on realism, “Mary-Lou’s Getting Married” and “Every Summer, In Every Watery Town …” are more tales than stories. Berry extends their narratives beyond obvious conclusions and illuminates characters from unexpected angles.
The less realized stories in the book contain characters that lack the fullness Berry is so good at creating. However, the collection as a whole is rich and satisfying.
Product Description
You could be married for over 10 years and still not know your spouse. You could think you knew everything about your dad but still he surprises you at your mother’s death bed. You think you know everyone in your small town but you’ll never know the dark secret your drinking buddy hides in his heart.With control, wit, and brilliance, Michelle Berry explores the hidden depths between individuals, families, and communities. Dysfunctional characters create tension in situations where they teeter on the edge of life. Psychological or situational twists pop readers’ eyes wide open and force them to pay attention. Berry uses rapid-fire dialogue to build tension and emotion. Despite the underlying dark tones, the stories carry life and hope, human kindness—and strangeness.Each story is a vivid snapshot of a raw moment in the lives of people at a crossroads. A married couple in the title story, “I Still Don’t Even Know You,” question the foundation of their relationship during a winter getaway. In “The Cat,” a life of endless purgatory stretches before a newly-wed husband. The wives in “Five Old Crows,” contemplate ways to pass the time ranging from murder to writing. And the title character in “Martin” drives around a boring country town with a shotgun in his car, his dissatisfaction with his empty life mounting as townspeople talk about recent mysterious murders.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
I STILL don't even know you,
This review is from: I Still Don't Even Know You (Paperback)
A very interesting book. As you read the book, each story speaks to a part of life that is known but rarely spoken about. The book makes you think - about you, your inner thoughts and feelings, and perhaps what your friends think. I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it for the reader who wants a book that speaks to the unspeakable in society.
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