Devils Larder

For no other reason than the stories captivated me. Each one so full of imagery. I just liked it; sometimes it's hard to say why a book is appealing, but this one is one of my favorites. If you get a chance, read it.

"The Devil's Larder", by Jim Crace is as inventive as his other works, and while it becomes rather mischievous at times it does not hit the darkest moods that some of his other work has. If you have never read this author the idea that he could present 64 short stories in 165 pages would seem to be a challenge at best, and at least worth questioning the viability of such a work. I started reading his work this year and he is the most unique writer I have encountered in several years. His point of view is fundamentally different from what others seem to see, no matter how familiar a situation, when shared through his pen, it becomes unique.Before you begin the read look at the cover. Food and its consumption is about as familiar an activity that all people engage in that I can think of. It's true that some make careers of its preparation, and others of enjoying the results of the labor in the kitchen; however eating is not an option. This book explores the myths associated with food, food as art taken to an absurd conclusion, food as revenge, as religion, and as an intimate exchange that takes place when people dine together. He also takes a variety of practices involving food preparation and production that are common every day events, modifies the perception a bit, and radically alters the reader's view.The stories vary in length and certainly test the traditional limits of what can constitute a tale. The enjoyment and wonder of this man's writing is that he demonstrates that for a writer who has meticulously refined his thoughts, length becomes meaningless. There are quotes in literature, or spoken in the delivery of speech that may contains a handful or words, yet they become familiar to vast numbers of people over centuries or even millennia. It is what is said, not how long an author takes to say it that matters. The writer must also communicate the entire idea, or at a minimum set the reader on a bit of a thought odyssey regardless of length.Some of these works are more like poems; others run the several pages that would normally constitute a short tale. Mr. Crace is a unique thinker and gifted writer. Now when you finish reading the book once again look at the same piece of art presented on the back of the book's jacket. Like his stories all that is changed is perspective. And like his stories what you see could not be more different from your initial view, to the new one he provides the reader with.

"Again we kissed. My tongue got snagged on her loose tooth. Our lips and noses rubbed, we breathed into each other's lungs, our hair was tangled at our chins. I tasted sauce and toothpaste, I tasted sleep and giggling, I tasted disbelief and love that knows no fear. My daughter tasted just the same as me. We held each other by the elbows while I hunted for pasta in her mouth" (pp. 164-65). There are truly memorable stories in the foods we eat, and Jim Crace has collected 64 of those stories here. You'll not only encounter this mother and daughter who enjoy tasting the food in each other's mouths, but also a woman who seasons her food with her husband's cremated remains, and another character who leaves bread dough on the windowsill for angels. "We dream of work and cash and ranging free," another character says. "We stay at home and contemplate the life of hens" (p. 31).Each of Crace's short fictions explores the notion that "there are no bitter fruits in heaven. Nor is there honey in the Devil's larder." Room service. Garlic breath. Aubergine allergies. Ninety types of pasta. Frozen Meals for One. Wedding cake and champagne. Shoe stew. Insect appetizers. Stone soup. Good honest wine. A mystery can of food embossed RG2JD 19547. Hard cheese. Kumquats a.k.a. pygmy oranges. A food additive that causes laughter in tourists. Crace has cooked up a five-star literary experience here that sizzles, and will leave you hoping for a second helping.G. Merritt

What a beautiful little book! I first read Jim Crace with his book Quarantine and I also read Being Dead--a very good book. This book, however, is the best of the lot. Yes, it is brief but its language is beautiful and its themes varied. It is at times funny, thought-provoking, poignant and always lovely.It is not, in fact, a novel but rather 64 short vignettes. As the title implies, the connecting theme throughout the stories is the appearance of food in one way or another. I had thought that I might point out what some of the better vignettes are but they are all so good and they are so varied that I can't pick just a few to discuss without denigrating others without reason.This is a very short book that can easily be read in one sitting so give it a try. Then, once you've read it once, go back and read it again, bit by bit. It's worth it.

Jim Crace has done it again! This author's richly faceted mind manages to find succinct stories from the most bizarre premises. Whether he is re-telling the Jesus-in-the-wilderness tale from the bible, or exploring the decaying bodies of an older married couple to dissect their premorbid lives, or, as in this instance, pausing on any number of theme and variations on the food fugue, he is extraordinarily successful. Why? The answer lies not only in the fact that he has a startlingly rich fantasy life, but that he is a consummately fine writer. Many of the 64 flights of fancy which comprise "The Devil's Larder" suggest free association thoughts that each of us encounters when a visual or gustatory or aural stimulus springs us forward into a sea of memory - stories read before, moments of orgiastic pleasure or flight and fright response. Crace uses such streams of conscious associations and brings them to the table for our feasting. The stories (or thoughts written) at first seem to be completely unrelated, but just as it is difficult not to leave fingerprints behind on the history of our fantasies, Crace creates or encounters wholly believable characters in the space of a few paragraphs or sentences and these creations are indelibly Crace. What a craftsman....and what a writer. These pages contain some of the most visual poetry being written today! Where will he take us next?