The
short story can be a difficult thing to master. I was skeptical about
this collection, but about the third story in I realized I was really
enjoying myself, and Anaïs Nin came to mind more than once, and I love
Anaïs Nin. The stories are definitely out there; a man using an escort
service after the death of his wife, a couple reevaluating their basic
belief system after being relocated to a different country and stumbling
upon head harvesters, a best man attending a wedding solo, failed
vasectomies, attempted affairs—these are just some of the subjects in
this collection of short stories that center around relationships and
sexuality. As in Anaïs Nin’s Delta of Venus, from the mundane to the
surreal each story in this collection is a well written and intense
character study, the main character being most often a relationship or
marriage. Be they a suburban father who desires to possess a Tantric
prostitute, or a couple riding a tandem bike together to overcome
perceived infidelities, Libman’s characters are very real in their
everyday lives and flaws. Yet Libman's tales are anything but
predictable, and they keep the reader hooked from one story to the next.
With tones that vary from dark to light, these stories are cynical
examinations of life and relationships that make up a truly enjoyable
read.Book 43 on my way to 52.
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