Wow. There's something fascinating happening with one of the tensions this story is built on: the difference between the genre in which the ghostwriter is working (cello) and what we expect from literary fiction (there's a quote I read once, about how the condition of a literary writer is such that we can't look on something beautiful without seeing the potential for horror beneath it...I can't remember who but it sounds very like Cheever in sentiment). This story is being written for an ostensibly more skeptical audience prone to finding the feel-good stories of religious publications too credulous, if not insipid. But it shows--and we can feel it in this very tension as the piece progresses--that what we want from stories is fundamentally the same: a feeling of a truth being revealed. I love this story for its ability to be both very clever and very earnest. I think a lesser writer would have been tempted to make the narrator a cynic, or his subject a liar, but there are no cheap shots here.
Once again I sat in my living room before dawn with my cup of coffee and listened to you read another great story. What a gift—both this wonderful writing and your voice. Thank you!
I found this story here from William Lychack telling us the behind the scenes of his “Architect of Flowers”— a collection written with his mother’s voice ghosting in every scene, he says. https://rusoffagency.com/book-info/the-story-behind-the-book-42/
Once again, so great to hear your voice, BB
I love Bill Lychack. I had a little crush on him going to grad school at Lesley University where he was teaching.
Hi, Jodi! The feeling was mutual! We all had lots of fun and did some great work in those Lesley days...
::heart flutters::
Blanche, thanks again for reading the story and for all your kind words. Means a lot to me, as you know. Love that you're doing this here.
Wow. There's something fascinating happening with one of the tensions this story is built on: the difference between the genre in which the ghostwriter is working (cello) and what we expect from literary fiction (there's a quote I read once, about how the condition of a literary writer is such that we can't look on something beautiful without seeing the potential for horror beneath it...I can't remember who but it sounds very like Cheever in sentiment). This story is being written for an ostensibly more skeptical audience prone to finding the feel-good stories of religious publications too credulous, if not insipid. But it shows--and we can feel it in this very tension as the piece progresses--that what we want from stories is fundamentally the same: a feeling of a truth being revealed. I love this story for its ability to be both very clever and very earnest. I think a lesser writer would have been tempted to make the narrator a cynic, or his subject a liar, but there are no cheap shots here.
Excellent take on this story! I love it.....
Once again I sat in my living room before dawn with my cup of coffee and listened to you read another great story. What a gift—both this wonderful writing and your voice. Thank you!
Wow and wow. See what you mean. Great storytelling. Enjoyed your reading. Envy your students.