Our Story Begins
In a collection entitled Our Story Begins, Tobias Wolff shares a total of
thirty-one short stories: twenty-one of them being among his best of all time
and ten of them being new works. Each work is written from a unique perspective
ranging from a scorned female teacher to a single wife to a conflicted teenage
boy. Considered a ‘dirty realistic’ in regards to his writing, Wolff is able to
construct stories that reflect typical human life without sugar-coating
anything. Each of his stories is just as realistic and gritty as you would
expect had they happened to you in real life. Tobias Wolff’s stories often have
the underlying themes of death and identity, the latter of the two being the
most interesting to me. Wolff manages to create characters that fit into world
that are all too much like our own, a perfect read for anyone looking for a
relatable work, young and not-so-young.
“In the Garden of North American Martyrs”
Among my favorite stories in the
collection is the opener, entitled “In the Garden of North American Martyrs.”
This story follows Mary, a dedicated history professor who recently lost the
job of her dreams and fell into a bit of a rut. When she is offered an
interview for a job at a fantastic new school, things seems to look up. That
was when she learned that she wasn’t even being considered for the position,
but rather she was only invited in order to fill a quota regarding female
applicants.
I feel that this story is successful
when it comes to characterization, primarily. Being told from Mary’s point of
view, we can uncover bit about her past that seem to make her whole to all of
us. Despite this, not everything is explained to us as Wolff seems to trust his
readers enough to put the pieces together. Mary is a strong character that goes
from a woman with a static reputation to a scorned teacher, sick of being
stepped on.
“Her
Dog”
My favorite story of the collection
was a newer work called “Her Dog.” This is an incredibly short story that
follows John, a man walking his dog – or, his wife’s dog – on a Sunday
afternoon. We soon learn that the dog, Victor, was indeed John’s wife’s idea
and that John wanted nothing to do with the creature. However, when his wife
dies, John is left with the responsibility of looking after Victor and a
somewhat unhealthy attachment ensues.
Wolff creates four characters throughout
the story: John, the pessimistic widower, Grace, the deceased wife, a random
guy who would be lucky if his IQ reached triple digits, and Victor himself, the
dog. He manages to do this throughout the span of a simple five or six pages
and gives a voice to each of them, however pained that voice may be.
Wolff generates much emotional
turmoil in one particular passage in which he masterfully created a dialogue
between John and Victor, incredibly considering the fact that one of them can’t
speak English. Not only was this scene crucial to creating two distinct
characters, but it provided us with a wall separating canine and human nature,
something we don’t see as often as I’d like to. I’d also be lying if I said I
didn’t tear up during the dialogue, but I don’t know how you can talk about
death and dogs without getting emotional.
“Two
Boys and a Girl”
Among my least favorite stories in
Wolff’s collection was a little gem called “Two Boys and a Girl.” And yes, it’s
exactly what you think it is. Unpopular opinion: cheesy teenage love triangles
are the death of creativity and intelligence modern society. The story follows
Gilbert, a guy who sees a girl, Mary Ann, dancing with his best friend.
Gilbert, Mary Ann, and Rafe (Gilbert’s best bro) immediately became some kind
of trio of friend who did everything together. Rafe and Mary Ann began dating
and Gilbert isn’t exactly thrilled with it. Rafe goes out of town and still
being close friends, Gilbert and Mary Ann spend time together until Gilbert has
completely fallen in love with his best friend’s girlfriend.
This story is boring. It’s typical.
And while the characters still feel real, the story itself is not interesting
enough to keep my going. I’d rather not read anything that reminds me of Twilight, or any young adult fiction
novel, frankly. This story seemed too juvenile for a writer like Tobias Wolff
and I was quite disappointed in it.
Tobias Wolff Biography
Interviews with Tobias Wolff
Tobias-Wolff-Related Webpages
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