Things With Different Names

Tonight's reading involved short stories that aren't part of the fifty-seven LRSF picks. All were by writers previously unknown to me.

Two of the stories I'd like to mention, both by writer Nina Kiriki Hoffman, and both available at Lone Star Stories, are Things with the Same Name and Neighbors.

'Neighbors' is a very well-crafted short (approx 2,200 words) that with an economy of language depicts vivid characters in a seemingly mundane situation. I particularly enjoyed Hoffman's excellent skill in describing details that convey both information (avoiding obvious exposition) and evoke mood (avoiding obvious emotional description). Also, the choice of intimate setting and restrained action proved highly successful in accentuating the underlying morbidity of the goings-on. Conceptually, this story is not arresting, but again, I was captivated by the tight prose and expert storytelling.

'Things with the Same Name' provides another remarkable example of technique, this time in a longer composition (5,200 words). This story, told in the first person, starts off with the revelations by the protagonist that "My name was Charlie, which might have been my biggest problem. I died in one of those storms people called the Storm of the Century." Observe how, beyond the immediate interest this generates in the reader by sparking obvious questions (why is his name a problem? How does this relate to the title, if at all? Why is the storm relevant, if it is?) the grammar is noticeably simple. Again, Hoffman exercises great restraint in her word choices and grammatical constructions. As we adapt to the narrator's voice, we quickly sense a sadness to it, a sadness conveyed in part through this child-like telling. This is the perfect choice for the unbelievable events we are to witness, as dumb-struck as the protagonist, yet immersed in his world. Hoffman also achieves a different sort of counterpoint: that between physical impossibility and psychological plausibility. The character's reactions and motivations are so well-grounded and realized, they sweep past shortcomings we may think we have discovered in the space-and-time of the story. This story permits various levels of interpretation and provides an elegant, rich reading experience.

I will be paying close attention to Hoffman's short fiction from now on (and I know there's a bunch more of her stories available for free on-line, just waiting for me--delicious backlog, here I come...).