The characters may be dark and damaged, but a posthumous selection of prose by a short-story master is raw and exhilarating.
You don’t so much read Thom Jones as climb aboard his train – or some more violently careering form of transport – and cling on desperately. This posthumous collection of 26 short stories is an assault, an avalanche of raw, grim, savage and exhilarating writing, from a man who was prey to the illness, depression, addiction and alcoholism that also beset so many of his characters. This is a dark, dark world, inhabited by damaged Vietnam vets, cancer sufferers, dedicated consumers of pills (brand names, dosages and effects are often meticulously delineated), crazy fantasists, the lost and the disappointed. And yet there is also huge energy and invention, and wild, fearless, black humour.
Denne historien er fra March 2 - 8 2019-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra March 2 - 8 2019-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
