The Children's Corner

Rating:
Summary: Not a book for children
Review: As a keen observer of the human condition, Jackson McCrae is apt to tell a story from an angle that not many of us would expect. And this begs the question, "Who is he really observing?" Is it the characters in the story, or, is it us? My reason for saying this is because, as I read, I was struck by how my mind worked, trying to figure out what was coming, where the story was going, and what was being expected of me. I thought I knew who I was, what I was reading, and where I was being taken, but as usually, this talented author turned the tables on me (as I'm sure he's done to many others) and I found myself laughing at my misconceptions about the human race. Ever remember hearing what you thought was a dirty joke, only to get to the end and find out that the "dirty" part was only in your mind? That the actual joke was about something innocuous? That's sort of the way McCrae writes. He tells you a story, content that you know what it's about, and you sit there smug and comfortable. Then, the "real" story begins to unfold and you find yourself with goose bumps: in shock that you didn't see "it" coming. So again, the question is, "Who is he really making a commentary on?" Is it the people he writes about, or those reading, or, are they one and the same? I must also recommend his first novel, which I'm now reading for the third time (yes, it's that good, and I'm still trying to put all the pieces together), called "The Bark of the Dogwood." After you read "Children's Corner," I highly recommend you try "Dogwood" if you haven't already.

Rating:
Summary: Lush beautiful prose with great insight
Review: The first thing that will strike you about this remarkable and sizzling collection of stories, is how well each one is tailored to its subject. The styles subtly change depending on what the author is writing about, phantasmagoric and multi-faceted, but not in a jarring way. The writing is gorgeous and lush without being stilted and overblown, and the descriptions of people, places, and events are so real, so fresh and alive, that you'll find yourself jolted back into reality once you close the covers of this wonderful and compelling book. As with all collections, there are some which will hit home more than others. Even with this, there's not a bad one in the bunch. Some of these pieces are downright morbid and gothic, while others are character studies. Still, a few are laugh-out-loud funny, in particular, "Christmas Comes But Once a Year." But of all the stories, "Crook" was my favorite. It's the only novella in the collection and you'd better get the tissues ready for this one. A simply fantastic ending to a colorful and genuine treasure of a book.

As the book jacket says, "THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR CHILDREN!" The title comes from the first story, about a teenage pianist who is playing a piece by Debussy called "The Children's Corner." As with most short story collections, the title comes from one of the stories, and this is the case with this book.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: Why this author has not won the National Book Award is beyond me. The writing is some of the best I've ever come across and worthy of a high literary prize. My only complaint with this book is that I'm not able to put it down. Nothing gets done around the house until I've finished. If you want something that will keep you reading until the wee hours, you just found it. Especially liked "Christmas Comes But Once a Year." I read it outloud to my husband and we were both rolling on the floor!

Rating:
Summary: Masterful storytelling that makes sense
Review: You must buy this book, if for nothing else, the story titled "Christmas Comes but Once a Year." It's about a writer who lives in New York and receives, each year, one of those cheesy Christmas letters from the relatives in the Midwest-you know the ones I'm talking about: they go on and on about the kids, what everyone had for dinner, who is in the hospital and are generally a boring yearly inventory of not much and a foray into the land of "Who cares?" But McCrae crafts a wonderful story out of a series of these, and the goings-on of the family will keep you in stitches. Each letter becomes more and more outlandish, the entire time with the writer ignoring her famous cousin in New York who has won awards and really made something of his life. As the book description says, it's a wonderful portrait of denial. I was reminded of Sedaris at times, especially when McCrae uses humor as he does in the "Christmas" story and another titled "My Brother Neal in Pensacola"-a story of cross-dressing gone bad (can it go any other way?). Some of the tales in this book are more far-reaching into the psyche. For instance, one called "Early Sunday Morning" is harrowing in its dry, subtle, dead-pan telling of a small boy who practices self-mutilation. Another, "A Forest of Green" is equally riveting and you'll find yourself glued to your seat, anticipating what's coming. If you're not a fan of short stories, don't worry, these will definitely change your mind.