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Eleventh of November, ‘Tenth of December’

November 11, 2013 by Dave Knadler

You'll laugh, you'll cry.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry.

Tenth of December, by George Saunders, might be the best book I’ve read this year. And this year I’ve read quite a few.

A few caveats: It’s a collection of short stories, so it might not be for everybody. And some of the stories have an oddball, almost science-fiction feel, so it might not even be for most people. It’s running about 3½ stars on Amazon’s reviews. But trust me: this is pretty good writing. These are not the obtuse and unremittingly bleak little yarns that so often pass for literature and get nominated for obscure prizes. Some are funny, some are sad, but most are both. I’ll just say this: when I laugh on one page and get teary-eyed on the next, I believe I’m in the presence of a master.

I’m embarrassed to say I’d never heard of George Saunders until this book was mentioned as a finalist for the National Book Award. Maybe it’ll win and maybe it won’t (the winners are announced next week), but this is one nomination I can agree with.

My favorite stories are the first, “Victory Lap,” and the last, “Tenth of December.” But all of them are memorable. What I like about Saunders is that while he seems to recognize all that might go wrong in a human life, he sees no need to let the wrongness prevail. Or, more importantly, abandon one’s sense of humor.

Dave Bob says check it out. If you do, let me know what you think.

More along these lines:

  • ‘Game of Thrones’: Feel-good romp of the year
  • little free library in springfieldBooks for nothing
  • U.S. history, from a great height
  • Skip the book, wait for the movie
  • least best place book coverA good time for fiction

Filed Under: Books

About Dave Knadler

Obscure writer. Lazy photographer. Bashful guitarist. Perhaps too fond of wine. Tireless nemesis of New York Times crosswords, Wordle, Semantle and all other puzzles du jour.

Comments

  1. Deb says

    November 12, 2013 at 6:54 am

    I hadn’t heard of him either but I’ll put him on my ‘queue’. I’m not much of a science fiction fan but the recommendation of good writing is always worth noting.

    • Dave Knadler says

      November 12, 2013 at 7:58 am

      Forget the science fiction thing. Only a couple of the stories touch on things that might be termed speculative.

  2. John H. says

    November 12, 2013 at 12:01 pm

    For a minute I got this author confused with Lawrence Sanders, writer of numerous bad novels. I thought, “Uh oh, Dave is really slipping”. I love short stories, so I’ll have to check out this collection.

    • Dave Knadler says

      November 14, 2013 at 11:06 am

      Yes, I’ve read a couple of Lawrence Sanders’ novels. They weren’t memorable.

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