Thirst

Ken Kalfus is an excellent writer. The range of stories in this book, combined with the grace and style with which they are written, demonstrate that. He can hop from setting to setting, and from style to style, and executes each with aplomb. However, I will note that in this collection, while there is breadth, there isn't necessarily depth. This is a tasty candy, a frothy confection that dazzles. But it's not a meal. I felt the the emotional life of the characters was not as complex as the situations he set up demanded. There was a sense that the writing came first, the story after.But this is a first book, and I certainly look forward to seeing him develop. The book is smart, funny, and beautifully written.

I thank two previous reviews - metamentor and Ginger Mekala - for enticing me to try this enjoyable volume. Kalfus is an excellent writer who includes a variety of approaches to the short stories that make up this volume.No Grace on the Road explores the tension between tradition and "modern Western" in an unnamed, third world Asia country. The narrator is among the privileged, married to an American. Their vehicle fails in a storm and they are forced to seek shelter with a poor peasant family with a dying child.Invisible Malls is a delightful spoof on Calvino's Invisible Cities.Notice is a story in the form of the legalese and copyright notices that appear at the beginning of every book.The Joy and Melancholy Baseball Trivia Quiz are human sketches introduced by baseball trivia questions such as who hit the most consecutive fouls.Cats in Space follows youthful animal abuse to the recognition of the "play" as cruel - in this case sending a kitten up in a helium balloon powered gondola.Whether returning from a trip to Bulgaria, buying a suit, imaging adultery, being confronted with the thirst of the desert - each of the tales succeeds - a remarkable feat given their variety.This volume is well worth your time

Read this collection and it will change the way you view a short story. Most of the stories have a Twilight-Zone quality to them -- they're presented in a quasi-eerie manner that a regular person could still relate. Common activities that most people experienced (such as baseball, war, everyday life, etc) are presented in a fantastical and refreshing manner. I cannot find a single adjective to describe the tone of the stories; it's comical yet tragic, strange yet familiar. Pick this book up for an enjoyble good read.

There is always something exciting about stumbling across hidden treasure - finding something rich and wonderful when you least expect it. Kalfus is a wonderful secret - quietly writing some of the most imaginative and diverse short fiction I've read recently. It's a great book for those who want to look cool holding a book by an author few people have heard of yet, but it's an absolute must for anyone who loves to get lost in a story and hasn't read anything very original in a long time.

Ken Kalfus is a terrific writer, a great stylist who can make any topic interesting. The first story -- "Notice" -- transforms the standard copyright notice paragraph found at the beginning of most books into a mini-story on the nature of memory. Other stories may seem experimental -- like the terrific "Invisible Malls" which pays tribute to Calvino's "Invisible Cities" -- but at their heart they always reveal truths about human nature. Highly recommended!