In an interview with The Seattle Times to promote his collection, The Angel of Rome and Other Stories, Jess Walter says that “writing a short story is like going on a date and writing a novel is like having a relationship. For [him], short stories are really fun and playful.” Which is fortunate for us, because several of our members mentioned not usually liking short stories but laughing out loud while reading these.

Our discussion this month bounced around between the stories, with the general favorite being the title story, “The Angel of Rome.” “To the Corner” was mentioned next frequently, and a couple of us called out “Mr. Voice.”  Our first responder was impressed by how well the author captured the feeling of just coming out as gay and found his female voices also seemed authentic. One of us enjoyed reading the stories but felt they didn’t quite end, which can be more common in literary fiction. Another member felt that one of the unifying themes is the twist at the end of every story in which the characters are revealed to be more than we first assume.

We were all surprised that the angel of Rome was the seemingly flighty actor Ronnie Tower. What a wonderful gift for the narrator to write a script for him. A member in South Carolina shared by email that she researched and discovered that the co-writer on this story, Edoardo Ballerini, went to Rome on a scholarship to study Latin. I’ll include her full note as a comment on the blog.

Most did not even notice that “Before You Blow,” was written in the second person, but this was particularly remarkable to one of us. Another member appreciated how the author captured in “Magnificent Desolation” that teaching involves not just working with kids but also their parents. We discussed the ending of “Drafting,” wondering if “the road fell away and the cold clear summit rose into view” meant that the narrator died in a crash? Or was this just the metaphorical movement away from the illness that consumed her? One of us noted that with everyone else, the narrator was defined by the cancer, but with this seemingly irresponsible ex-boyfriend, she could live in the moment and find herself again.

The gun in “To the Corner” played a large role for some of us. A gift for protection? For suicide? Accidental violence? We loved how the narrator connected with the kids on the corner, bringing them into his life and allowing him to touch theirs. One of us mentioned how kindness gets passed on.

We touched on some of the other stories, too. No one seemed certain about the title or significance of “Balloons.” One of us would like to find a retirement home like the one in “Town and Country.” Many of us noted how we are not prepared for how hard it is to care for our aging parents. Did Jess Walter write “Famous Actor” before or after Matthew Perry admitted stealing drugs from people’s bathroom medicine cabinets?[i]One member hadn’t liked the first story she read, but she re-read it before the meeting and did like it! Sometimes we just aren’t in the right time or place or mood. Many of us kept notes to help us keep the stories straight.  I will include in one of the comments my own notes, including spoilers.

This was our final meeting for 2023. If you’ve read along with us this year, let me know which of the books you read was your favorite. We will start off 2024 discussing a variety of classic novels or stories – much as we discussed this collection. Pick something that you have always wanted to read, tell us about a classic you remember, or pick a story from a recommended list. Let me know if you’d like some help finding a story. What makes a classic? You decide – then join our discussion.

• Other works discussed:
• Stephen King – he has a variety of short stories that are surprising and powerful.
• Anxious People (2020) by Fredrik Backman
• A Man Called Ove (2014) by Fredrik Backman
• Inkheart (2003) by Cornelia Funke
• Citizen Vince (2005) by Jess Walter  (Winner of the Edgar Awards Best Novel 2006)
• Whitney Book Bistro previous short story selections:
• Exhalation (2019) by Ted Chiang
• Stone Mattress: nine tales (2014) by Margaret Attwood
• This Is How You Lose Her (2012) by Junot Díaz

[i] In the copyright information, “Famous Actor” is credited as published in Tin House, Best American Short Stories 2017, Pushcart Prize Anthology XLI. Most of the online references I found for Matthew Perry were published after his death this year.  He is mentioned in interviews as saying that he would go to Open Houses on Sundays and steal from medicine cabinets. I didn’t find any early dates, but it could be possible. Matthew Perry’s autobiography, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir, was published in 2022.