(from the archives)
Richard
Yates wrote two of my favorite novels, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD and THE
EASTER PARADE, but he also wrote this fabulous collection of ten short
stories (among others). Written in the fifties "The Best of Everything"
almost seems like a story written earlier. Were people in their twenties
this naive? This innocent? I have to assume some were.
It is the story of a couple on the day before their marriage is to take place in Atlantic City. The point of view switches between the two of them and you can't help but notice how drastically different they are from each other once you are in their heads. You also realize they don't know each other at all and that their marriage will probably fail quickly.
The woman is a typical middle class young woman working as a secretary. She speaks well and is respected in her office. The man is a step or two down the socioeconomic ladder and has a poor grasp of English, which the woman's roommate makes her constantly aware of, calling he and his friends, "Ratty little clerks."
But for whatever reason, Grace
goes forward with the marriage plans although we sense her worry. Her
roommate, feeling badly about the things she has said about Eddie,
leaves her alone the night before the wedding and Grace plans an early
consummation, feeling this will set things right.
But Eddie has been the man of the hour with his friends at a bachelor party and he is stunned by their good will. You get the feeling he has never been the center of attention before this night. He hurries to Grace's apartment to tell her he is going back to the party and her attempt to seduce him goes to naught.
We understand now that Eddie will
always choose his friends over his wife and that will destroy their
marriage quickly. She goes so far to put his hand on her naked breast.
Nothing.
There is a lot of discussion online about this story. One teacher said it was the cause of a female student in his class dumping her boyfriend. Yates' real gift here is capturing the mind and language of both characters so clearly and with sympathy. Eddie is not a bad man and Grace is not a snob, but they certainly don't belong together. They seem to have reached an age when they believe it is time to marry no matter to whom.
14 comments:
Naivete will always be with us. Consider the recent results, when it has been coupled with incomprehension, and unconcern, and a fair amount of spite.
It sounds like the story has a lot of depth, for all its a short story. I can see the similarities, too, between the themes in Revolutionary Road, and this one.
As I'm sure I said last time he came up, I'm a big fan of Yates and his work. Of course I've read this collection, as well as several of the novels (including the two you mentioned) and a biography.
Currently reading: I'm nearly done with MURDER MOST CONFEDERATE, edited (in 2000) by Martin H. Greenberg. George reviewed this a couple of weeks ago. Very good collection with some favorite writers.
Someone mentioned the new book by Lydia Davis, which reminded me that I had a few of her short story collections (very short shorts, for the most part) yet to read, so I got CAN'T AND WON'T (and a later one) from the library. Her stories are very short, ranging from a paragraph (even one sentence) to a few pages. Good writer.
Speaking of George, he reviewed a new collection by Barry N. Malzberg, which reminded me to get his COLLECTING MYSELF: THE UNCOLLECTED STORIES, which I will be reading with the other collections.
And I have the collection of Lee Child stories waiting for me at the library.
Richard Yates is an underrated short story writer. Diane just wants to curl up on the couch and watch a HALLMARK movie after the dismal Trump victory.
George, Jackie feels exactly the same way.
I am going to the movies. By myself because I don't want to talk about it. A documentary about Alfred Hitchcock. Being alone is too much today.
This helped me this morning: The election-eve AFTER MIDNIGHT, which I had missed, is a good one (as you might already know, if you let the video run through the "menu" page after every segment, it segues into to the next segment...though you might want to keep an eye out for the "skip" button on the YT ads, after they run for a few seconds...) Rhys Nicholson, Rekha Shankar, and Paul F. Tompkins are the guests. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMEf6BcEB8E&list=PL-cwa6ZvflaB_A_iDGgIWxwxwoyNl94eo
We got our new refrigerator delivered this morning, so spent time transferring everything from the old - as in 30 years old - to the new. Now the super is taking the doors off the old one (the doorways in this building are not that wide) to dispose of it for us. Then we'll go out for a steak lunch.
Our similarly aging fridge is reaching its end...what model did you choose?
I keep vowing to stop acquiring new short story books and then I hear about new authors, new stories (to me).
I don't think I have read anything by Yates.
Todd, got a GE. Almost got a Frigidaire but it was a little small for us. This is not one of those huge ones, but big enough.
Thanks. After getting burned by our Miele dishwasher, all input is welcome.
Abstinence is no fun in this regard.
Thanks for the add!
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