January 3, 2010 ~ Werewolves in Their Youth by Michael Chabon has been collecting dust on my bookshelf for some time. Time to delve into what I believe will be some intriguing and moving short stories.
Werewolves in Their Youth at Amazon.com
January 5, 2010 ~ I am about half way through Werewolves in Their Youth and started three other books too - another collection of short stories, a non-fiction book, and a novel. I like having some variety, particularly when I am reading something that is on the darker side. Light, I need light! Funny that my lighter-hearted book has vampires and werewolves in it.
Wow, my friend emailed me a link to the entire first story of Werewolves, she thought I might like to post it here. I do... Werewolves in Their Youth by Michael Chabon Thanks Sue.
I was introduced to Michael Chabon when I fell in love with the movie Wonder Boys. This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is a little dark, but also funny, clever, charming, and real. Since then I have read (most of) the book. (note to self, finish Wonder Boys).
January 8, 2010 ~ The stories in Werewolves are a strip of the darker American fabric. My favorite of the collection is the first story, Werewolves in their Youth, which explores bullying, neglect, childhood depression, and divorce. Paul and Timothy are fifth grade outcasts. After Timothy, who is bound for a "special school", acts up; Paul is charged with calming him. Paul both cares for and resents Timothy, who is his only friend. The bad day spirals into the worst day of Paul's life when he sees his mom packing up his dad's experiments which means dad is not coming home. The rest of the stories are not much more cheerful. Themes include: divorce (nearly all of the stories had this theme), self-hatred, rape, loneliness, and depression. Some characters find redemption but none do so in a real uplifting way.
Chabon's gift for vivid and revealing characters and his masterful imagery is what made these stories worth reading. I just like to be happy and I was not happy reading these stories. I tend to over-empathize (understatement) in life, so this was not the best book choice. It's not you, Werewolves, it's me. 3 of 5 stars.
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