April 27 - "The Boy from Lam Kien"

“The Boy from Lam Kien”
by Miranda July
No One Belongs Here More Than You (2007)

* * * (Good) Realistic

An agoraphobic and a curious young boy engage in a conversation that ends with a tour of the reclusive narrator’s apartment.

Finally a story that once again hints at the quirkiness that hooked me on July in the first place. I won’t gush – there’s much here that doesn’t impress me one way or another – but there are moments when the sentences spark and the imagination ignites, and I find myself drawn to these characters. Six stories to go in this collection. I’m hoping for a strong finish, full of unique characters, outrageous and unbelievable situations – stories that entertain my imagination.