What's Come Over You: (None)

How can you not love Marian Thurm? I've always loved her -- ever since I read her first collection of short stories, Floating.Both collections share a certain simplicity in language and poignancy, although stories in What's Come Over You? are a bit wackier, with more humor. Whereas most of the protagonists in Floating were young women (if I recall correctly), the characters in WCOY are a diverse mix -- men, women, older people, younger people, gay, straight. What is it about Thurm? Well, for one thing, you never have the feeling that she's trying too hard. The situations -- though sometimes slightly bizarre -- come across as natural, and the language is simple and unforced. I agree with an earlier review which questioned Thurm's lack of recognition. How come more people aren't reading her? I'd put her on my list of the best short story writers. Along with Peter Cameron and Ethan Canin, she is one of the only short story writers whose collections I will read again and again.

In this moving collection of short stories, Thurm proves her insight and compassion for the human condition. Although she clearly relishes the absurd in terms of a situation, her characters are always fully realized humans, never turned into cartoons or caricatures. For example, in the first story, a rabbi's wife announces before him and the congregation that she's leaving him. The reader starts with a chuckle, but through the course of the story, one truly feels for the rabbi, his situation, and even his wife. In a way, Thurm reveals the aftermath of those "When you look back on this, you'll be able to laugh" anecdotes. Although fame has eluded this novelist and short-story writer, those who do discover her prose are given a great gift.