Since this blog is now exclusively devoted to short stories and reviews, here's some exciting news:
the latest Jonathan Franzen short story is about me! It’s set in
Saint Paul in the 1980s and 90s (actually in Nick’s immediate neighborhood), and the main character’s son goes to our high school, class of 2001. So I guess it’s really about Nick. Anyway, it’s worth reading if you want a window into our lives. And isn’t that why we all read? For a window into my and Nick’s lives?
Even though the story is basically Stuff White People Like in short story form, I do think that it captures the local color in an authentic* way. And maybe that is actually why we all read. Maybe. Short stories, at least.
*I’m trying to bring back using “authenticity” without scare quotes. Join me! Unless you’re my student, in which case you probably need to think harder about how experience is always mediated, B+.
