I was a big fan of Dan Chaon’s Await Your Reply so I had great expectations for Chaon’s latest short story collection, Stay Awake. And, mostly, those expectations were fulfilled. Chaon writes about guys whose girl friends get drunk and fall out of trees. Then, at the hospital, the girl friend (perhaps under the influence of Happy Drugs) admits she’s married. But, there’s more to the story. In fact, after you finish a Dan Chaon story, you’ll be thinking about it for awhile because there’s always more to his stories. My only quibble is a story titled “Thinking of You in Your Time of Sorrow” which is written in the second person. I dislike stories written in the second person because the technique distances me from the story. There are plenty of strong stories in this collection that will stay with you for a long time. Dan Chaon is one of finest practitioners of the art of the short story. Stay Awake proves it. GRADE: A-
Looking forward to reading these. AWAIT YOUR REPLY was one of the best books I read in 2010 (or was it 2009? time really is speeding by these days).
AWAIT YOUR REPLY created plenty of buzz for Dan Chaon, Deb. STAY AWAKE continues the process.
Glad you mentioned this one as I liked Chaon’s FITTING ENDS and AMONG THE MISSING.
I agree with you on the off-putting second person style.
I think Dan Chaon gets better with each book, Jeff. Yes, that second-person irritates me to no end!
OK – reserved it and will pick up AWAIT YOUR REPLY, which my library has in stock.
I managed to get through some before the book was due at the library. I liked all of them and think he’s one of the best short stories writers working today. I didn’t care for the novel as much.
I agree, Patti. Chaon’s writes better short stories than novels. But even the novel is different.
Have read nothing by this author, but the short story collections sound interesting.
You would find Dan Chaon’s short story collections provocative, Rick. They’re well worth seeking out.
Yeah, my married girlfriend gets drunk and then falls out of a tree once in a while. But it isn’t as much fun as it sounds.
George, from the way you describe Mr. Chaon’s work, I think he might be worth checking out. Thanks!
Dan Chaon’s characters will keep you involved in their twisted lives, Drongo.