Charles Baxter has long been one of my favorite short story writers. Gryphon is the perfect place for readers who want to sample Baxter’s work. The title story is narrated by a young boy whose classroom has been transformed by an unusual substitute teacher. Baxter’s characters find themselves in situations that spin out of their control. What impresses me about Charles Baxter’s stories is the variety of subjects he’s able to write about convincingly: oldsters who are shop-lifters, lovers who are in the midst of breaking up, a doctoral student who can’t seem to finish his dissertation, crime and punishment. If you want to read some of the best stories being written today, I recommend Gryphon. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Would-be Father
Horace and Margaret’s Fifty-second
Harmony of the World
Winter Journey
Surprised by Joy
The Eleventh Floor
Gryphon
Fenstad’s Mother
Westland
Shelter
Snow
The Disappeared
Kiss Away
The Next Building I Plan to Bomb
Flood Show
The Cures for Love
Poor Devil
Ghosts
Royal Blue
The Old Murderer
Mr. Scary
The Cousins
The Winner