Of Fragile Things and Fire Kings
Friday, February 26th, 2010
This past week I read two short story collections back to back: Neil Gaiman’s “Fragile Things” followed by Kim Edwards “The Secrets of a Fire King”. Though its tempting to compare the two volumes, I will refrain. Both Gaiman and Edwards are accomplished authors in their own right but the striking contrast between their writing styles assures that a fair comparison is unrealistic.
“Fragile Things” opens with “A Study in Emerald” in which we are introduced to an ordinary man living an ordinary life whose moderately interesting roommate reveals his very Sherlock Holmes like talents. In typical Gaiman fashion the story takes a turn for the odd rather quickly. The remainder of the novel is rollicking weird fun with similar twists & turns. However, characters remained shallow representations of personalities and the odd storyline details became so expected that it no longer provoked a reaction. By the time I encountered the woman who thrives off living flesh and the man slowly being consumed (“Feeders and Eaters”), I cringed a bit at the imagery but felt no visceral response.
As is expected in any collection, a couple of items stood out. “The Problem of Susan” and “Inventing Aladdin” were especially delightful. However I would have enjoyed the collection more if I’d read it one a bite at a time. Reading several entries in one sitting exceeded my daily allowance of weird. Overall I prefer Gaiman’s longer novels, where he has the opportunity to lead the reader on a tangled journey filled with the deep characters that leaves one trembling and satiated.
“The Secrets of a Fire King” contains an assortment of literary windows. Each story opens the curtains just long enough to allow witness of pivotal life events. There are few plot twists or surprises within these pages. These are character driven tales and the gap between print & reader is bridged with emotion. Though there are precious few words to develop each persona, most still convey a richness & depth that can only be accomplished by striking a chord within the audience. It’s easy to relate as each personality struggles with acceptance, love, betrayal and self discovery.
Again, I had my favorite pieces. “Balance” settled firmly into my top ten list. I must confess, I have never read a full length novel by Edwards though I intend to rectify that omission. What do you suggest I should start with?
