Assorted Fire Events: Stories

A perfect, concise, thirteen stories that never fail. As Jonathan Franzen states of the book's jacket, this is one of the "best books of the past ten years." In the post-bombing aftermath, these stories never fail. They are about human trials, the pain of loss, and the redemption of the truth. I felt, reading them, that I was being taken into the heart of the human experience. Means is daring enough to write about deeply complex and troubled lives. He never cops out. It's no wonder this book won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize last year and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle. They saw what I did. A great book.

"Wow I wish I could write like this guy!" This phrase must be on the lips of every fine writer practicing his/her craft today. David Means is a miracle man - short stories that feel like novels, so well are they developed and loaded. Yet none is more than 20 pages. And the subjects he chooses to make fictions.....this man has one of the richest imaginations in the business. e is totally unafraid of any subject that others may avoid as being demeaning, or too tough, or so bizarre that noone would be interested. A man's description of a life as a drifter all focused on the way he holds on to moving trains (The Grip), or a man who obsesses on Gestures observed and sought out. The disparity between the rich and the poor, the gnarly conditions of dwelling as a misfit. He plumbs the bottom of the world barrel for characters we'd never think to think about, much less care about and finds reason for molding stories that defy our ability to put them down. For this reader, David Means has created a series of String Quartets - the first subject melody may seem simple but the expositions and variations and permutations are like galaxies we've never known. I think this man is a genius. Haven't been this excited about a writer in a while. Dare it, do it, revel in it. But buy this book!

A very good compilation of stories. Mr. Means seems to have a particularly acute perception of the downtrodden and the seamier episodes of life. The author seems to be at his best--when he describes (in graphically illustrative language) the most despicable of scenarios. I like this book--because I like the grittier side of life. This author is very adept at capturing these dark moments.

These are beautiful and original stories. They show philosophical and religious depth--so are not to be read lightly. They lead the reader to personal reflections on the meaning of life. At points Means made me think of Thomas Wolfe--then I thought they really are the work of an American original Franz Kafka. It's about time! Is that possible in this culture?

David Means's work first came to my attention in Harpers Magazine. It was clear from the work I saw there that he was a force to be reckoned with, but I had no idea what proportions this impression would take on! I didn't know about the rest of his stories, the best of them having appeared elsewhere. I was very impressed, especially by the title story. An amazing achievement in belle lettres. If you consider yourself a reader of literature, David Means is a must. He is a master of the short story, the likes of which having not appeared in a long, long time; maybe not since Faulkner.