Word: manã
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Dates: during 2001-2001
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...clear standouts emerge from the collection, “The Other Man?? and “Sugar Peas.” All of Schlink’s stories are effective in their portrayal of a specific kind of love; his goal is to show the depths and complexity of love, and how it motivates us beyond rational action. These two stories in particular approach the topic with a bubbling uniqueness. Instead of the more straightforward and realistic parables on the foibles of love, these stories have a quirky sensibility that makes them drastically more entertaining...
...Other Man?? is the story of a man who receives letters from his wife’s mysterious, far-away lover soon after her death. This “other man,” who is not yet aware that she is dead, continues writing her letters, most of which are either pleading with her to come back to him, or ponderous rantings on how much he loves her and doesn’t feel guilty about it. Schlink is at his best with his handling of the letters. He writes them with a mysterious coyness that makes...
Though it is a funny and touching story, the success of it still lies in Schlink’s ability to dissect human motivation surrounding love. The man??s obsession with his wife’s past, which he slowly uncovers, is at first ambiguously displayed, but eventually Schlink gives us reason for his journey: his own insecurity, his newfound feelings of inadequacy and his flawed, human curiosity. These motivations don’t appear selfish through the careful eyes of Schlink. Rather, they seem pointedly human...
...Sugar Peas,” the true standout of the collection, is a funny and simultaneously tragic diatribe on one man??s emotional polygamy. Thomas is married with children to Jutta. He becomes entangled in an extremely serious affair with Veronika, who wants a larger commitment from him, and after years of his double-life, she gives birth to his child. At this point, Schlink begins setting up Thomas’ ultimate flaw: obliviousness...
...human rituals and passions associated with its consumption make for compelling and surreal tales that are about much more than what’s for dinner. In a series of vignettes, Crace tells of a mixture that, when consumed, makes one laugh without cause; a condemned man??s last meal as described by a narrator watching the prison guard collect the food requested, which includes drug-laced baked goods; a spontaneous game of “strip fondue” with friends from the office; a mother testing whether she can taste pasta in another person?...