Trouble: Stories

by Patrick Somerville

A VINTAGE ORIGINAL

In this hilarious and wildly inventive debut, including a title story that was nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Patrick Somerville charts the dangerous territories of adolescence and adulthood for the American male.

In “Puberty,” Brandon takes the matter of his reticent hormones into his own hands. In “English Cousin,” Terry’s enigmatic relative arrives, looking to learn about love, stateside. And in “The Future, the Future, the Future,” Dan’s carefully planned life falters when he sees his wife kissing her boss. Trouble explodes with wicked humor, exuberant braininess, and unforgettable style.

Puberty --
Trouble and the shadowy deathblow --
Black earth, early winter morning --
Crow moon --
The train --
English cousin --
The whales --
The future, the future, the future --
The Cold War --
So long, anyway

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2006

About the author

I'm a fiction writer from Wisconsin, living in Chicago.

Reviews

[Manik Sukoco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somerville's uneven debut collection portrays men and soon-to-be men in various states of transformational chaos.
In "Puberty," Brandon, on the cusp of adolescence, attempts to wrest control of his body from Mother Nature by using vitamins to hasten the onset of puberty. In "Crow Moon," Seth mourns his fading childhood and faces a monotonous and unhappy adulthood.
Somerville's men don't behave very differently from the teenagers: in "Cold War," an older doctor's affair with a disturbed young woman is the catalyst for a breakdown as he owns up to his impending mortality.
One of the collection's better stories, "Trouble and the Shadowy Deathblow," is the first-person account of an unemployed food scientist who learns a deadly martial arts technique from a disabled man. His struggle to control his newfound power becomes a darkly comic portrayal of men afraid of their destructive power.
Less successful are short dialogue pieces like "The Train" and "The Whales," which present the banter of teenage boys without sufficient context or the means to involve the reader.
At his best, Somerville crafts stories that, with equal parts grace and humility, highlight mordant absurdity and revel in darkly comic moments.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I initially became aware of Somerville, but I know he wrote for the TV series, "The Leftovers," which I thought was fantastic. After reading "Trouble," I'd say the author's pairing with the show makes sense. The stories are somewhat uneven, to be expected with a first collection. There are multiple laugh-out-loud moments. In general, there's some playfulness here, even some wackiness (like "The Leftovers"). The best thing about Somerville's writing is that he takes surprising turns. He is worth following even when the stories sometimes go off the rails. One example would be "Trouble and the Shadowy Deathblow," where an unemployed food scientist attends a conference in San Francisco and learns a deathblow from a shadowy figure he meets in a drugstore; he later uses the deathblow to commit several murders. My personal favorite story was "English Cousin," stuffed in the middle of the book because of its absolute ridiculousness. But it's a super fun, entertaining story. The teen protagonist meets his teen cousin, who is visiting from England, and for some reason he's particularly hostile to this relative, at first locking him in his room and later convincing him to climb onto the roof of the protagonist's girlfriend's house and jump down the chimney, where he gets stuck. "The Cold War" is another story that could've gone one way but went another. An older doctor, unmoored by the death of his wife, meets a young homeless woman at the library and begins an affair with her. He then takes a drunken road trip that results in him stealing a man's hat and a boy's sled (to flee the man), ending up breaking into a college building and briefly being arrested by campus security. Much here is unexpected. This is why we read fiction, to find out what will happen next. Somerville is consistently warm, funny, and surprising but also writes effectively about injuries, pain, and betrayal. After reading "Trouble," I'm anxious to explore the author's other books.

[Stephanie Dargusch Borders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminiscent of authors like Tom Perrotta and Nick Hornby, I enjoyed this collection of stories from the male perspective. Heavy dose of nostalgia thrown in and humorous dialogue as well. Enjoyed a lot.

[Mitchell Waldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great humorous and compassionate stories about boys, men. Maybe Patrick will return to fiction writing despite his television work. We can only hope.

[LennyGA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. This book was OK. The short stories are interesting enough, but having read "the dangers of smoking in bed" by Mariana Enríquez (which also deals with chaos, transformation, teen angst etc.) this fell a bit flat.

[Brandon Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten stories, ten looks at the lives of very different males in very different situations. Young men growing apart that communicate like whales, in undercurrents of emotion rather than direct communication. An ex-manufactured cheese scientist scouting a convention for jobs and inadvertently creating death all around him. An aging widowed doctor in the midst of mid-life crisis and mid-life catharsis. An American teenager and the English cousin he never knew he had, forced together by the formers parents, bound by similar malaise and acquired indifference, trade verbal and physical challenges until one of them ends up abandoned in a chimney.

These stories are quirky in a way that's connected to the fabric of reality that is random and sporadic and all over the place, and anything but bullshit.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this book while also reading another book of short stories - 'Elemental'. One was at the apartment I just moved out of and one was at the house I just moved into. I'd read either one during downtime packing and moving. I should probably not read two books of short stories at the same time anymore. Apparently the stories get jumbled in my head and I forget where each story came from despite that the subject and themes of each book are different. When I had time to sit down and read 'Trouble' as my main focus I really enjoyed each story and found that I liked each of the characters. Somerville is really good at getting into the male mind (I think. I can't know for sure, of course) and the inadequacies that every guy feels. It was a unique perspective in this collection... I feel like I learned a lot about the male psyche.

[Lia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somerville is fast becoming one of my favorite writers. His words sing with electricity, his characters jump off the page. His stories are so alive, it sometimes hurts. But more than anything, Somerville has a wicked sense of humor: dark and sly, sometimes it hits you in the gut, sometimes it's a light touch.
His work is reminiscent of many writers I had to read in writing workshops, and sometimes his prose feels planned to be read in that way. But his talent is clear and his stories luminous, and I am anxiously awaiting more work.

[Stasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may say more about me than about this book, but this is the kind of book that's simple, sweet, a little silly, and sparkled with excellent lines, nonchalantly tossed in, that say so much. It's not sad so much--maybe melancholy--but I read it fast enough that the emotions of it sort of wrecked me. Which is funny, since it's all about dudes in various stages of growing up and figuring out life, and if anything, they are not overtly emotional--and yet.

I can't say I necessarily understand what it's like to be a guy trying to figure out how to be in the world, but I loved these stories.

[Deborah Vichos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like when a book produces an audible laugh, beyond smile or mental laughter. I heard myself giggling a lot as I read these stories. The writing also made me stop and ponder, a few spots, I think I did the physical nod, "yup!" My favorite story was "Crow Moon". Awkward high school swimming unit was a great setting for a story and then two characters from opposite sides of the track helping one another float.

[Msslam · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories...all talk and no action. There are some potentially interesting characters here, but I found myself wanting more information. There's a lot of quirk but not a lot of meat. I'm looking forward to a novel from Mr. Patty-Pants though. With the proper time, I think he'll tell a really good story.

[ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed from R.

A really precarious set of short stories - balancing between the tenderly prepubescent and paunchy middle aged fellows. A fair amount of surrealism is found mixed with a heartbreaking grasp of reality - like in the best of the stories, Trouble and the Shadowy Deathblow. There's a few weaker parts to the book, but it's a solid nod to the genre.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked all of these stories, and felt that this book was a great read that appeals to both males and females equally; complete with darkly comic moments, which I just adore. I have to admit my favorite story of them all ended up being, "The Cold War." It just moved me to no end. If you like short story collections, then this is a must read!

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of short stories. Insightful and Sincere. The flow of is like a well made mix tape, the feeling is never too heavy or too light and there's always an anticipation for what's next. I loved it.

[pea. · Rating 2 out of 5]

each story started out with promise then it was like mr. somerville got distracted and forgot to complete the stories. very frustrating. i enjoy the arch of a story it does not have to be wrapped up in a nice package but it should move somewhere.

[amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, insightful, with a nice rythm, and while some of the endings felt a little cut off and unresolved (perhaps purposely), the stories are certainly worth a read.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short stories about men who feel inadequate. The humor isn’t that phony, the trauma, not all that traumatic.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous male angst short stories.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

some of these were REALLY funny.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a really funny, smart, and original book. pat's a really funny, smart and original guy. it all makes sense.

[Lisa]

ahhhhhhhhh! too little time....what is time anyway?
the cotton gin's fault..!hhhhhhhhhhhhhhha

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth your time.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Cold War" was my favorite story.

[Simon A. Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid collection. The first story, "Puberty" is one of the best shorts I've read in a while. Kudos to one of the hardest, most skilled working authors in Chicago.

[Gary Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible collection of stories; not a weak one in the bunch.
It's a shame that not many people read short stories these days.

[Blayne M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somerville's first collection of short stories. The first story alone is worth the price of admission. Best coming of age story ever.

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have all these agendas in my head. I have all these plans. I have this inflated sense of importance -- I think we all do. Read these stories, okay? Read them out loud.

[Amy Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 of 5. Male centric (like most short story collections I've found thus far) but excellent reading. Funny, touching, hilarious at times.