The Cage Keeper: And Other Stories

Andre Dubus III is keeping in the family tradition by writing masterful short stories like his father, Andre Dubus. For me the best story is "Forky," the story of a man recently out of prison trying--bluntly said--to get laid. Despite the harsh setting, we are given, via the remembrances of the ex-convict, the heart-felt stories of his brother and a fellow prisoner who reminds him of his brother. Also, without a drop of sentimentality, we are shown a touching affection that grows between the ex-con and the more or less random woman he picks up at a bar. This story proves once and for all that real life is interesting enough. We don't need car explosions or alien take-overs to make a story engaging. What we need are authors with insight, of which Andre Dubus III has an abundance.Any fan of the stark realism of Richard Ford, Raymond Carver, or Russell Banks' more recent writing will appreciate these short stories.

I was up in the mountains of New Hampshire when I read this collection of short stories so I found the New England settings of these stories just about perfect. The writing is thoroughly enjoyable. Andres Dubus III knows how to turn a phrase and describe a scene with the best of them. The reason that I gave this collection 4 stars was the fact that many of the ending disappointed me. The endings made the stories disappear. Dubus III has a style that really locks you in to the characters. Many of the main characters are problem individuals who you end up viewing with or reading with empathy. When some of the endings fall off the cliff, so to speak you end up feeling cheated for developing this empathy. Other than that the stories are creative and fantastic in the ways of Carver, Chekhov and Johnson.