First Ride of the....Season?
Jaffe is incredible. His ability to hone in on little tiny nuances of human nature and behavior make his style really interesting. As a man who loves kids, I find the story of a single professional man raising his son alone appealing. It really reaches out to my tender side. I really credit Jaffe's ability to nail a character, insecurities and all. I think this is a bold book to put the love of father and child over the classical love between man and woman. BRAVO! paucity caroms cathartic
Proulx stories are rich in description and character, but the tone of the situations is almost always a bit dismal. Most of the stories are about some form of struggle between locals of the rural north east and encroaching urbanites. Whether it's trendy doctors moving into old farms and research local geneology or swarms of hunters encroaching on local hunting spots. Sometimes the urban influence is a remote business decision with strong ramifications for the local community. Many of the stories reminded me of my own childhood in New Mexico; woodstoves piping on winter days, hunting with dad, beat up pickup trucks, and a sense of separation between the locals and the townies as we called them as a kid. One of the stories titled broken arrow has a scene describing how a farmer purchases a washing machine for his wife's birthday. In past gender-role days where a woman toiled over a wash board and bucket, this was probably an apt gift. But I remember my father doing it for my mother and it didn't go well at all ;) Remember guys Diamonds are a girls best friend. Reach for this book on a snow day when your stuck at home in your PJs. Take with tea.