Transgressions, Vol. 2: The Things They Left Behind / The Ransome Women

I have not yet read either story - but very much look forward to it. I do have a complaint, however. I ordered the hardcover version of "Transgressions" and before receiving it also ordered "Transgressions Vol 2." Well, the two stories in "Transgressions Vol 2" are contained in the hardcover "Transgressions," which also includes many other short stories. So don't make the same mistake I made!

"The Things They Left Behind" is very simple and very moving. It is perhaps the best King I have read in 10 years. His talents were put to good use in this one. It took me back to 2001-2002 when we were pulling together and before we went back to business as usual, shooting our own wounded.

TRANSGRESSIONS is a series of short stories from popular authors edited by Ed McBain. This volume in the series contains two stories: one from Stephen King and one from John Farris. King's story, "The Things They Left Behind" is the shorter of the stories. Scott Staley called in sick to his job as a claims adjuster in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. It was a decision he questioned almost everyday after. Almost a year later, in August 2002, a box containing personal items of people he worked with in the tower shows up in his apartment. He doesn't know what to do with the items. Then one night the voices start. It's enough to drive a sane person crazy. Scott tries to give the items away, but he always ends up back with them. Somehow he has to figure out what to do with the items, stop the voices, and ease his guilty conscience. The second story, "The Ransome Women" is by John Farris. This story is basically a psychological suspense story. Echo Halloran is a young and beautiful starving artist/art critic, trying to forge her way in New York. Echo's favorite artist is the reclusive John Ransome, a portrait painter who only paints pictures about twice a decade. Echo catches the eye of Ransome and he wishes to hire her for a year as his next model. Becoming a Ransome woman could be the break of a lifetime. However, Ransome is a shady figure with a mysterious past and the fate that meets each of the former Ransome women is one that Echo tries desperately to avoid. Of the two stories, I found "The Ransome Women" to be the more exciting. Not that I didn't like "The Things They Left Behind," because I did. In style that story resembles some of King's best works, such as DIFFERENT SEASONS, THE GREEN MILE, THE COLORADO KID, and THE LONG WALK. I enjoyed reading it. However, I liked reading "The Ransome Women" more even though it is four times longer than "The Things They Left Behind." The story begins rather slow, but quickly picks up pace. As a whole, it reminded me of the 1944 movie starring John Carradine and Jean Parker, BLUEBEARD. True to the title of the series, both stories are welcome transgressions.

When I saw the title of the novella written by Stephen King (The Things they Left Behind) I knew I had to buy this book, because I already had a book with a similar title, that one written by the brilliant Tim O'Brien (The Things they Carried), and I hoped King had come up with the title as a nod to O'Brien's book but didn't have time to check that out before buying the book (I was in the process of making some last minute purchases for a birthday party - at breakneck speed). When I finally got time to sit down and read this book, I found King's story to be absolutely haunting and I DO think it is meant to connect to O'Brien's book (there are certainly similar themes, although a different situation, both in time and place, etc). I only wish I could provide a lot of details about the plot but I'm afraid that would destroy the surprise for you. I will go so far as to say it has to do with memory and loss, with unexpected grief and trauma but I feel I owe it to the reader to experience the exact situation, the evocative atmosphere without any spoilers. I don't generally feel that way but this novella covers such a major experience that I don't want to give too much away. It is among the best of such works that have come out in recent years, many on the same subject, and I find the title to be a perfect parallel to O'Brien's work about how major trauma affects people (and I urge you to hunt down O'Brien's book, one of the best I've ever read). I know I've gone on and on about one novella and not said much about the other. It, too, is a worthy read but I would not have bought the book for it alone, although it explores the price of beauty in a particular situation very solidly. It held my interest. Perhaps some of you will even prefer it to the King story. I DO want to note that I have bought every book in the Transgressions series and not a single volume has disappointed me. Ed McBain noted that he put together these compilations as a way to showcase pieces that allows authors to veer off in new directions and each writer seems to have kept to high standards. This isn't a hastily thrown together series but an excellent, high quality one.

I enjoyed both stories, although John Farris wrote the more riveting and complex story. What confused me was Ed McBain's intro. In his intro, he wrote that he used to get $500 checks for 10,000 word novelettes, at the going rate of half a cent per word. That's fifty dollars, isn't it? I noticed that because five hundred dollars still isn't bad pay for 10,000 words.