I might come back to this later but right now, UGH. I feel I could have made it through and enjoyed more of it if it wasn't for the 3rd story being a dreadful interminable bore of a story about some kind of urban planner (except he wasn't ACTUALLY an urban planner - what was he? not explained) going to an accupuncturist (each time described in detail and the SAME details each time as if they have a meaning yet nothing really coming to light). This story takes up 1/5 of the book. I didn't even reach the end of it. I tried skimming to see if maybe things made more sense after finishing but couldn't even be bothered with that. His language is the only draw for me, but beautiful language doesn't make up for non-existent plots. I'm not expecting some obvious, easy plot, but I want to see something of the character of the characters. Here characters spout many deep statements but they feel inconsistent. By the end they come across as absurdly well educated stereotypes - not because he's a lazy writer who deliberately goes for them, but because I don't feel like I see enough detail to make them unique so I have to resort to applying a template to make them make any sense at all.

I feel stupid criticising a book that's clearly written by a highly intelligent, educated expert at English. The thing is, the language is beautiful. I just feel like nothing happens with it. He narrates events that are neither real enough to be relatable nor fantastical enough to be escapist. His characters don't go through emotional development, and we don't see enough of their mind to care about them. The dense prose works against what is there by making the insights come even slower. ( )

Video review: https://youtu.be/Xds7hrVLkdA

My introduction to the world of Joseph McElroy. A brilliant apéritif, a gratifying amuse-bouche before diving into his novels. ( )

He was on Bookworm this week. An aside just before he read-- 'It may be ego; no I'm sure it's ego, but when I read this story I feel proud. And I know we live in the age of television, but I'm very happy to be reading this on the radio' --was so odd and sudden and honest. He's a truly moving and interesting human. I can't wait to read his fiction.

http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/bw/bw110203joseph_mcelroy_night ( )

My first McElroy too. A fascinating, distinctive style, but not enough matter to keep me. The stylistic maximalists I do appreciate: his contemporaries - Pynchon, Bolaño, Dellilo, I appreciate because their concerns are explicitly historical, global, and their knowledge is vast. The canvas needs to be big, the style challenging. But what do we have here (once again)? Men, women, couples, families - New York City as world. More bourgeois mystification.

That feels a bit harsh... And after reading a cheat-sheet to Women and Men, I think that novel actually sounds more like my cup of tea. Neither Pynchon's nor Bolaño's short stories give you any indication of what you'll experience in the novels (Dellilo is brilliant in short form.) But it may have to wait a while. There's a queue of big, difficult books to conquer. ( )

My first McElroy. I'd rather dip my toe with the short stories rather than drown in Women and Men.

The thing that most struck me about these stories was their ephemeral, dream-like quality, a constant shifting of details yet you're absorbed in them. Many people go without names or are only introduced later. "On the Campaign Trail", an imagined tryst between Barack and Hillary, mentions no names.

The one 'omission' is that these stories had no previous publishing information, but they all seemed relentless and contemporary. They have an astonishing diversity and depth. You really FEEL them, no matter how different they seem to be. ( )