Going Away Shoes is a collection of short stories by Jill McCorkle. This is, in fact, the first such book that I've read. I'm not sure why I haven't read short stories in the past but I was intrigued by the premise of this collection, so I thought I'd give it a try.
Within the pages, there are eleven tales to be told. All are from a woman's perspective and discuss a loss of some sort, be it a spouse, a child, or maybe just the loss of one's original plans in life. For me, I struggled a bit through it, not wanting to quit but eventually found myself unable to read beyond four of the stories. I found they were a little sad, somewhat depressing. I really tried to push on but just couldn't; I truly hated to give up.
It is most definitely not that the writing is bad, in fact it's probably a sign of how good the writing was that didn't sit well with me. The stories hit close to home and left me feeling a bit unsettled. This is probably more of a testament that the author is doing a good job of getting her tales across. McCorkle takes, heartache, disappoint, grief and puts them in your face. They need to be dealt with because, in the end, all of these elements are an unavoidable part of life. It's how we deal with them that defines the path to our future.
I like my fiction to be a bit further removed from the familiar aspects of life, but the similarities were just too much for me. I have already recommended this book to people that I know enjoy the genre and if you like stories of women's struggles to find peace or happiness or whatever, through hardships or hard times, then these are for you, too.
Within the pages, there are eleven tales to be told. All are from a woman's perspective and discuss a loss of some sort, be it a spouse, a child, or maybe just the loss of one's original plans in life. For me, I struggled a bit through it, not wanting to quit but eventually found myself unable to read beyond four of the stories. I found they were a little sad, somewhat depressing. I really tried to push on but just couldn't; I truly hated to give up.
It is most definitely not that the writing is bad, in fact it's probably a sign of how good the writing was that didn't sit well with me. The stories hit close to home and left me feeling a bit unsettled. This is probably more of a testament that the author is doing a good job of getting her tales across. McCorkle takes, heartache, disappoint, grief and puts them in your face. They need to be dealt with because, in the end, all of these elements are an unavoidable part of life. It's how we deal with them that defines the path to our future.
I like my fiction to be a bit further removed from the familiar aspects of life, but the similarities were just too much for me. I have already recommended this book to people that I know enjoy the genre and if you like stories of women's struggles to find peace or happiness or whatever, through hardships or hard times, then these are for you, too.
5 comments:
I have yet to find a collection of short stories that DON'T seem a little sad or depressing. I wonder why that is...
That sounds like one of those books you pick up and read when you're in the mood.
Mary-Hmmm, maybe I'll try a collection of fantasy/sci-fi instead. That might change the mood, lol.
Mel-So true. Maybe I'll try again in February when I'm really feeling down, lol
If you want to try some linked short stories I found really good (and far enough removed from life) pick up Ghostwritten by David Mitchell. One of my favorite all time books!
Thanks, Lenore. I'll add it to my TBR.
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