The Collected Stories

Rating:
Summary: Superb audio book as well
Review: My schedule doesn't permit a lot of free time for reading so I randomly picked up Theroux's collected stories from the local library and I must say that the storylines are intriguing and the characters are so believable, you may very well find yourself empathizing with them.

This is a fantastic collection of stories if you have a long commute and need a break from the rubbish on the airwaves.

Rating:
Summary: A fine sampling from one of America's most original voices.
Review: Paul Theroux is the kind of writer who is not afraid to go out on a limb. His literary output over the last twenty-five years or so is as diverse and inspired as any other American writer working today. And I'm pleased to say that in this handsome paperback re-issue he seldom disappoints. Take, for example, the almost hallucinogenic vigor of "Dengue Fever". I challenge anyone to read this story once through in a quiet setting and not be haunted by its shadowy, sinuous images a week, a month, or even a year after the initial experience. It is Theroux's turgid depictions of fever, deftly mixed with the not implausible elements of the supernatural, that make this tale a breath-taking excursion into the horrific realm of the subconscious.

Then there is the creepy, nocturnal brilliance of "World's End," in which the narrator of the story becomes the not so subtle victim of his own vanity. The suspense never lets up while steadily building toward a sat! isfying, even shocking ending. Is his wife having an affair while the narrator smugly entertains yet another road trip? The narrator's son, shrewd and tight-lipped, is a wonderfully nuanced portrait of silent anguish and controlled fear, while the timorous image of a kite and the ironic metaphor of "play" are cleverly juxtaposed by Theroux who knows well the value of a ripe Joycean symbol.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, haunting
Review: This is one of the best short story collections I've ever read. Paul Theroux is expert at making the reader actually feel "there". The landscape descriptions and characterizations are first rate, and I enjoyed the "plot twists." Theroux excels in creating difficult and often unlikeable but always memorable characters ( read The Mosquito Coast, Millroy The Magician or The Black House if you want further proof. ) These stories are frightening, sad and funny. Highly recommended.