Bark: Stories by Lorrie Moore
(Alfred A. Knopf, 2014, 192 pages)
People had been singing this book’s praises for so long that I decided to grab it while I went on vacation in November. This collection is made up of 8 short stories and unfortunately I wasn’t really sucked into any of them. I can certainly appreciate Moore’s talent as a writer, but I’m not sure this was the book to prove it for someone who hasn’t read her work before.
Of the 8 stories, those that I enjoyed reading the most were “Debarking” (about a recently divorced man entering into a new relationship) and “Wings” (which looks at a romantic relationship that has started to get stale… an elderly gentleman gets thrown in the mix and things quickly start to change). I’d like to look at some of her previous short story collections, or perhaps try one of her novels. While this book didn’t wow me, it DID wow a lot of critics so if you’re looking for something to read and want to try some short stories, this may be just right for you.
