Product Description

“Extraordinary for its craft and emotional effect . . . [Ethan Canin is] a writer of enormous talent and charm.”
–The Washington Post

“Character is destiny,” wrote Heraclitus–and in this collection of four unforgettable stories, we meet people struggling to understand themselves and the unexpected turns their lives have taken. In “Accountant,” a quintessential company man becomes obsessed with the phenomenal success of a reckless childhood friend. “Batorsag and Szerelem” tells the story of a boy’s fascination with the mysterious life and invented language of his brother, a math prodigy. In “City of Broken Hearts,” a divorced father tries to fathom the patterns of modern relationships. And in “The Palace Thief,” a history teacher at an exclusive boarding school reflects on the vicissitudes of a lifetime connection with a student scoundrel. A remarkable achievement by one of America’s finest writers, this brilliant volume reveals the moments of insight that illuminate everyday lives.

“Captivating . . . a heartening tribute to the form . . . an exquisite performance.”
–The Boston Sunday Globe

“A model of wit, wisdom, and empathy. Chekhov would have appreciated its frank renderings and quirky ironies.”
–Chicago Tribune

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #262114 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-08
• Released on: 2006-08-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780812976175
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
The paperback release of Canin's thoroughly engaging short-story collection-a PW bestseller and one of PW's best books of 1994-marks the launch of the Picador imprint in the U.S.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Four stories from Harvard Medical School graduate Canin, author of the fine collection Emperor of the Air ( LJ 2/1/88).
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
If one were to diagram Canin's fictional form, it would have to be of classical proportions: clean, noble, and golden. His latest book presents us with four beautifully told long short stories. In each, a man muses over his past and realizes how little control he has had over pivotal moments in his life. "Accountant" is a gripping variation on the turtle and the hare fable. The turtle, and narrator, is Abba Roth, a serious student turned dutiful accountant. The hare is Eugene Peters, Roth's academically disinclined boyhood friend who was able to parlay his enthusiasm for auto mechanics into a hugely lucrative business. Now solidly middle-aged, they have a showdown of sorts at a fantasy baseball camp overseen by none other than the great Willie Mays. As Roth surprises everyone with his able performance on the field and incredible awkwardness everywhere else, he finally gives into his deeply buried "impulse for uproar and disorder." The title story also tells the tale of a methodical, even fussy man brought up short by the bold, unscrupulous acts of richer and more powerful figures. In each story, Canin proves himself adept at articulating moments of profound embarrassment followed by flashes of self-knowledge that are either invigorating or demoralizing. Moving and memorable. Donna Seaman

Customer Reviews

Each Story Deserves a Rating
It's not easy to assign one rating to this book. It's not a novel--it's a compilation for four stories, each about 50 pages in length. The stories vary in quality and deserve to be looked at independently, though there are some common themes. For one, all of Canin's narrators are male. Second, baseball is mentioned more than once. Finally, all his characters seem to be supremely flawed, which I guess is the author's attempts at making them more realistic, but the characters never actually seem real. In three of the stories the narrators seem to suffer from the same flaw--they're arrogant and stupid. They get themselves into the type of predicaments you expect from network sit-coms. It left me wondering if the author is giving us insight to his own personality, or if this is just how a doctor who attended Harvard views the rest of us.

The four stories included are:

The Accountant (2 stars): The story is narrated by the titular accountant. Two childhood friends grow apart when one chooses college and the other goes directly into the workforce. The story is about the mistakes the accountant has made in life and the smug attitude that prevents him from realizing his missteps.

Batorsag and Szerelem (2 stars): This one is a coming-of-age tale narrated by a boy whose eccentric brother is extremely good at math. The older brother is also hiding something from his family. This story had a ton of potential, but I just felt like it wasn't executed well at all. It jumps around a lot and there's not enough character development. I believe there was enough story here for a novel; the author just didn't take the time.

City of Broken Hearts (4 stars): This one is a well-written, somewhat tragic story about a man in his sixties who is recently divorced and having trouble adapting to single life as well as relating to women and his son, who is attending college on the other side of the country. When the son visits his father in Boston, the two go to a ball game together, since baseball is the old man's passion. The father in this story is a sympathetic character. It's easy to understand his confusion and frustration. His baseball team lets him down, his wife has left him for another man, and his son is arrogant and so interested in proving he's a modern, sympathetic man that he doesn't take time to let his father remain part of his life.

The Palace Thief (5 stars): The best story in the bunch. A young teacher at a prestigious prep school feels some sympathy for a troubled student, which leads to him making some errors in judgement. The story revolves around their teacher-student relationship, as well as their relationship 40 years later. All of the stories in the book are compelling, but this one is the best. The main character is still flawed, arrogant, and perhaps stupid in his choices, but this novel offers the best character study and it's easily the stand out of the bunch.

I hate Ethan Canin because...
...my wife used to work at Houghton Mifflin whose vaunted Trade Division published Ethan Canin when he first started. All the 25 year old women of HMCO were in love with this guy who wrote beautifully, was excessively handsome (see book jacket and be your own judge...what do I know?) and was slumming at Harvard Medical School to become an MD. OK, so it has taken me about 12 years of marriage before I could bring myself to pick up Dr. Canin's work. And what do I think?

Not too bad. If you like terrific writing. If you are a fan of great American story tellers like Fitzgerald, O'Hara, Cheever.
If you like baseball. If you have ever been part of a family. If you are left brained or for that matter right brained...well you get the picture. I concede. This Canin dude has it all, and I recommend you add him to your reading table.

(Just don't let your wife see the bookjacket.)

Wonderful human drama.
Let's face it folks: All stories have already been told. In fact, the Greeks nailed down about every possible archetypal character, conflict and plot over 2,000 years ago. So, bashing this book for being "trite" or "banal" essentially bashes every modern work of fiction. The value of literature, then, becomes how well something is done rather than how original it is. What these snobby critics (i.e. The New York Times) simply can't stand is that Canin's methods are entirely anti-postmodern. If you're into literary trickery a la David Foster Wallace or Paul Auster or Thomas Phynchon you had better stay clear of these gorgeous stories about human beings (rather than talking dogs). This is exactly what literature should be. The stories are about the characters, not the author. Writers like Wallace and Pynchon want you to remember the author. So much of postmodern fiction is about the author and the author's baggage, all rendered in a self-serving mess of psychological confession and silly pop-art trendiness. Canin's writing is about telling a profound story with beautiful language. God forbid! Canin is willing to subordinate fake originality to a supreme understanding and mastery of the world's most noble craft. American fiction needs more writers like this, willing to embrace the fundamentals of literature rather than faddish trickery. Very impressive.