Two dozen short stories mainly involving
relations between men and women, mostly from the male viewpoint and often
concerning their perspective of the relationship rather than the reality. So they
are more to do with the dream than the love; and less about the love than the
desire (with a sprinkling of hate, revenge, ennui and betrayal).
The settings, periods and characters cover
an impressive range. To give a taste of those that stuck in my mind: a US
serviceman seeks revenge on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific; a schoolboy’s first
date, the plans shared in the dorm, has a lot of to live up to; a diplomat’s
last night in the tropics provides a long awaited opportunity for sex with a colleague’s
wife, but there is an impediment; a man’s obsession for a girl has an unusual
genesis and a tragic end; and student affairs at an international school in
Nice create tensions and torments.
Stylistically Boyd experiments in some
stories, which adds to the variety, but for me he is best when he tells it
straight – good characters, intriguing situations, a dilemma to resolve.
Resolution doesn’t always come, not all
endings are neat, but most stories say something interesting about men and
women and how they relate. And it is not a bad thing sometimes to be left
wondering…
Personally I prefer his full length novels
but this collection provides a more-than-readable, bedtime-story length assortment
of tales; some will resonate, some may jar, but none will put you off the next.
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