Book 3 of my 2019 Reading Challenge
read from January 2 - 4
Problems with People
by David Guterson
Summary (via Goodreads)
published 2014
Ten sharply observed, funny, and wise new stories from the best-selling author of Snow Falling on Cedars: stunning explorations of the mysteries of love and our complex desire for connection.
Ranging from youth to old age, the voices that inhabit Problems with People offer tender, unexpected, and always tightly focused accounts of our quest to understand each other, individually, and as part of a political and historical moment. These stories are shot through with tragedy—the long-ago loss of a young boyfriend, a son’s death at sea; poignant reflections upon cultural and personal circumstances—whether it is being Jewish, overweight and single, or a tourist in a history-haunted land; and paradigmatic questions about our sense of reality and belonging. Spanning diverse geographies—all across America, and in countries as distant as Nepal and South Africa—these stories showcase David Guterson’s signature gifts for characterization, psychological nuance, emotional and moral suspense, and evocations of small-town life and the natural world. They celebrate the ordinary yet brightening surprises that lurk within the dramas of our daily lives, as well as the return of a contemporary American master to the form that launched his astonishing literary career.
Ranging from youth to old age, the voices that inhabit Problems with People offer tender, unexpected, and always tightly focused accounts of our quest to understand each other, individually, and as part of a political and historical moment. These stories are shot through with tragedy—the long-ago loss of a young boyfriend, a son’s death at sea; poignant reflections upon cultural and personal circumstances—whether it is being Jewish, overweight and single, or a tourist in a history-haunted land; and paradigmatic questions about our sense of reality and belonging. Spanning diverse geographies—all across America, and in countries as distant as Nepal and South Africa—these stories showcase David Guterson’s signature gifts for characterization, psychological nuance, emotional and moral suspense, and evocations of small-town life and the natural world. They celebrate the ordinary yet brightening surprises that lurk within the dramas of our daily lives, as well as the return of a contemporary American master to the form that launched his astonishing literary career.
My Opinion
4 stars
I always seem to start off the year with high ratings for books which makes sense because I'm reading ones I received as Christmas gifts.
The title led to this fun interaction: sitting in the waiting room while my daughter had physical therapy, a chatty woman asked what I was reading. I held it up and said, "Problems with People"...conversation ended there. :)
With short story collections, I usually start off making notes on each story because sometimes I review each story individually and sometimes I review the book as a whole. In this case, I seemed to be repeating myself after each story so I'm going to just sum up how I felt about the book.
Even though the stories were so different and would sound insignificant or boring if I tried to describe them, they all held my interest. Maybe it's because a lot of his characters overthink things like I do so the constant inner monologues felt familiar, or maybe it's because I love people-watching and these felt like little snippets of peeking into someone's life, but I was absorbed even though they weren't really about anything.
I felt like the stories ended well but I also would've read more. I would easily read a full-length book by him (which I guess I did in a way since all the stories are by him).
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