If Walter Mitty was a bit more fatalistic, if James Thurber explored meta-fiction, if, if, if...From what I gather from "The sky-blue jar," Panu Trivej would love that he inspired this "what if" game. It's exactly the kind of story I love. It's playful but thoughtful, easily read but encourages multiple reads.
It's also not the Thai sort of story I expected. By most accounts, "The sky-blue jar" could almost be anywhere. Short of the character names, there are hardly any cultural markers to anchor the story. I like this from time to time. I've felt that way about northern books, for instance. You almost never read a novel about someone getting divorced or visited by aliens in the north. No, usually our books involve someone getting lost in a canoe. It's not that getting lost in a canoe can't be interesting and that writers shouldn't sometimes write about such a thing, it's just that not every facet of our lives here depends upon us being in the north. Trivej proves the same about Thailand.
(Did you write a post for Short Story Monday? If so, please leave a link in the comments below.)
5 comments:
This story sounds interesting. I read a story for today with definite cultural markers - it takes place in the Southern U.S. The story is called "Desiree's Baby".
I love the story's title, so pretty.
I'm still reading from The Best American Mystery, but there's not really much of a mystery reagarding whodunnit in this one.
http://wp.me/pmP4i-3nB
It sounds like a really good story. I just added it to my list.
I forgot to link my short from yesterday: http://teddyrose.blogspot.com/2011/10/architect-of-flowers-by-william-lychack.html
This sounds like a great story to read after I collapse on the chesterfield tonight! Provided I don't get lost in a canoe first.
This story does sound interesting. I read the last few posts, and think this is the best suited one for me. Thanks for the tip!
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