Comments on: The Meagre Tarmac, by Clark Blaise

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:29:53 +0000

Shawna: Thank you for the comment which brings this excellent book back up on the list so others can read about it. I was very impressed — I am three-quarters of the way through his early stories (Southern Stories in the collection that I am reading) and remain very impressed with Blaise.

By: shawna

shawna — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:24:44 +0000

I am later than I would have liked with this comment. A combination of being behind on my reading and wanting to let this collection soak in a bit as I thought it over. I really enjoyed the stories, particularly the sets that interwove and incorporated the voices and perspectives of multiple characters. The overall feeling I was left with at the end was one of displacement and the loss that comes from not really belonging anywhere.

Thank you for the recommendation, Kevin, I think this is a book that will stick with me for some time!

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:28:21 +0000

While The Free World was my choice when the Shadow Jury got down to deliberating, I would have had a difficult time choosing between it and this one if the judges had moved this collection on to the shortlist — that’s how impressed I was with it.

By: Buried In Print

Buried In Print — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:01:20 +0000

What a superb response to a superb collection: I hope your enthusiasm cinches the deal for your readers. Even those who normally prefer novels, for the interconnections between these stories do make it particularly appealing in that regard. Agree completely on the question of the characters’ voices being distinct, as well as the sense of continuity across the work: this would have been on my shortlist too!

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:26:22 +0000

gmh: Welcome to the blog and I am glad that I did not mislead you on The Meagre Tarmac. I certainly found that second reading was rewarding — and I was very impressed with the book the first time through.

By: gmh

gmh — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 19:39:03 +0000

Just finished this book. I ordered it, enroute to Arizona, the day I heard your interview with Shelagh Rogers. The book was waiting for me when we arrived at our little place in the south. I completely agree that this book of connected short stories deserves the praise you have given it. I need to re-visit these character and will read it again within the next couple weeks. So glad I tuned into The Next Chapter that day because I had never heard of your blog. After listening to your conversation I became a fan and will be a new follower. Thanks. gmh

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:51:05 +0000

Max: The second quote is in fact a 12-year-old — who is scheduled to be the youngest person ever to enter Stanford University the next fall (in pure mathematics, if I recall correctly). Perhaps the stretch of a device, but I didn’t find it so — the Asian academic prodigy is a more or less constant story in North American education. I maybe should have explained that in the review since that distinction is important to her and a good part of the reason she wants no part of returning to her father’s Indian roots where she would come under all the pressures of, to her, a completely foreign culture.

As for the similarity in tone of the quotes, I think probably that is more my fault than Blaise’s. Looking over the review, I seem to have chosen all descriptive or explanatory quotes (because they advance the story line for me) and ignored more personal or nuanced ones. I didn’t have a problem with voice at all — indeed, the way they characters were fully established was the best part of the book for me.

By: Max Cairnduff

Max Cairnduff — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:17:01 +0000

Kevin,

In the second quote, is that supposed to be a 12 year old or is it the adult woman looking back? I’m assuming the latter as it doesn’t sound at all like a 12 year old’s voice. It sounds like a writer being careful to craft each sentence precisely and neatly.

Which actually leads me to a query. All the quotes feel to me like they have essentially the same narrative voice. Is that just a function of quotes being brief and so losing nuance, or are they very similar in tone each to the other?

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 03:28:24 +0000

AkA: The back is much better — thanks for your concern. Having a couple extra days to think about this book was welcome, as you can probably tell from the review.

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 03:24:39 +0000

I thought all of his characters were very well established and had empathy for them all, so obviously it was not a problem for me. I’ll be interested in what other readers think once they have had a chance to read the book. Overall I liked the book so much that I am searching for why it did not make the final six, so maybe I am guilty of stretching things a bit.