by Tobias Wolff
New Sudden Fiction (2007)
* * * * (Great) Realistic
Father and son run into an unexpected snowfall that threatens to ruin their hopes of returning home in time for Christmas Eve dinner.
Tobias Wolff is another one of those authors I’ve heard great things about, but never read. It’s a unique introduction to his work; I’m curious how this one story compares to the rest of his writing. The writing itself seems a bit spartan. But, sometimes the most straightforward and simple sentences are the ones that fit the story best. There was nothing flashy or stylish in the prose, but there was still story – words working in tandem to explore a slice of the world around us. And anytime a story reminds me of my dad – of the father/son dynamic – I’m hooked. I particularly enjoyed the following few lines spoken by the father:
“…I don’t want you to get the idea this is something just anybody can do. I’m a great driver. That’s not a virtue, okay? It’s just a fact, and one you should be aware of.”I’ve heard those same lines before.
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