Tuesday, July 6, 2010

"Dinaburg's Cake" from The Surf Guru by Doug Dorst

Or, how many times can Nat use the word "obsession" in one post?

Now we have something interesting. This story is miles more honest and drew me in immediately. There are no headings to kick me out of the narrative and I was allowed to engage with the characters and the plot.

What makes this one intriguing is the validation of the mother's obsessions by the daughter that the mother deems peculiarly obsessed. The mother, of course, never equates the obsessions and never understands that the obsessive behavior is rooted in the same things. This story also left the reader with something to ponder--not something missing but an interest in the characters that would naturally produce questions. I wonder if the validation of the obsession(s) quell the obsession(s) (probably not) or feed and produce more obsession(s). And, what happens to the non-OCD men in their lives? The end of the story leaves the men (and boy) in a situation that is bound to have consequences for the ladies. But what and how severe are they?

Sigh. If only this were a novel.

No comments: