This is a collection of short stories by John Updike. As often happens with fiction, it's a little hard to say exactly what is compelling about the writing style, except that the flow of the words is pleasant, stimulating, and touching. Updike has a certain clarity of vision. Interestingly, another reviewer characterized his style as "detached," which is exactly how Margaret Atwood is often described. Once I read that, I saw the immediate similarity. I am a huge Atwood fan, which could explain why I liked the stories in this collection, my first exposure to Updike. I'll give it a "+".
I think one of the hardest-hitting pieces is actually the shortest one, called "Dear Alexandros." It is simply two letters, one from a poor Greek boy who has received aid from an American couple through a relief program, and the subsequent reply from the husband. The boy's letter is full of life and hope, about his plans for the summer, his friends, his tiny home near the beach. Although Alexandros is poor, one gets the impression that he is nearly satisfied with what he has, and that he senses his life will improve. The American man's reply is stunning. He is cynical and apathetic, he writes with little cultural sensitivity, and he seems to feel no joy at the bounty of his lot. The couple has divorced since sending the money to Alexandros, and the man is bitter and slightly depressed. It is clear that participating in the relief program was a minor event to them even though it was life-changing to the boy, and the man shows no recognition of this fact. The juxtaposition of the "happy" poor and the cynical, dissatisfied rich is a common theme, of course, but Updike has created a masterful version that will reach your heart in a new way.
Most of the stories are centered on a single person, a protagonist that is not always likable, but whose thoughts and feelings compose the bulk of the tale. Common themes that Updike explores include the very human fear of death, the timbre of our relationships in the midst of death or disease, and the uncertain role of religion and faith in our fragile lives. But like a true storyteller, Updike doesn't hit these themes directly, didactically. They lurk just below the surface of rather ordinary accounts of people's lives-- falling in love, having children, taking a trip, moving to a new house. Often a single event or short interval of time is chosen as a meaningful, transitional one for the characters. And through their self-discovery the reader gains some insight into Updike's larger themes.
"Pigeon Feathers" itself is quite a complex story. It is something of a coming-of-age tale, in which the pensive boy David grapples with the concept of death (and his fear of it). Religion offers some solace, but the most important event for him is being given the task of shooting the pigeons that have infested the barn. Bringing death to other creatures deepens his understanding of human death. One gets the impression that he is just tasting the idea of interconnectedness, of some cosmic ecology like the more literal one his mother talks about being at work on their farm. David's father is less receptive to these ideas, setting up sub-themes of how children learn to form their own opinions independent of their parents' opinions.
The last two stories employ a style I hadn't seen before. Their titles are long sets of phrases, for instance "Packed Dirt, Churchgoing, A Dying Cat, A Traded Car." The story flows smoothly between substories with each of the phrases as a title. (The title listed at the top of the page changes throughout the story even though there are no section headings or other indications that a new story has been started). So the story mentioned above starts out in "Packed Dirt" as an observation about the meaning of packed dirt such as in pathways, under swings, etc. This dirt indicates human presence, along with deliberate but essentially unplanned change in the landscape. This observation leads to reminiscence, which then blends smoothly into a new reminscence... and suddenly the reader is in "Churchgoing." And so on. It's a neat style. And it fits Updike, who has an exquisite sense of the way life tumbles from event to event, only partially directed.
Overall, I found these stories engaging and interesting. I'm not even a huge fiction fan, but something grabbed me about the honesty and earnestness of Updike's snapshots of human lives. These tales are deep in meaning, but never heavy. I am planning to try an Updike novel in the future to see how he reads in a longer format. In the meantime, I highly recommend the "Pigeon Feathers" collection.
Copyright © Kim Allen 2002
