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Man Descending: Selected Stories
Book by Vanderhaeghe, Guy
230 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
17 people are currently reading
301 people want to read
About the author
Guy Vanderhaeghe
34 books195 followersGuy Clarence Vanderhaeghe, OC, SOM is a Canadian fiction author.
Vanderhaeghe received his Bachelor of Arts degree with great distinction in 1971, High Honours in History in 1972 and Master of Arts in History in 1975, all from the University of Saskatchewan. In 1978 he received his Bachelor of Education with great distinction from the University of Regina. In 1973 he was Research Officer, Institute for Northern Studies, University of Saskatchewan and, from 1974 until 1977, he worked as Archival and Library Assistant at the university. From 1975 to 1977 he was a freelance writer and editor and in 1978 and 1979 taught English and history at Herbert High School in Herbert, Saskatchewan. In 1983 and 1984 he was Writer-in-Residence with the Saskatoon Public Library and in 1985 Writer-in-Residence at the University of Ottawa. He has been a Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Ottawa (1985-86), faculty member of the Writing Program of the Banff Centre for the Arts (1990-91), faculty member in charge of senior fiction students in the SAGE Hills Creative Writing Program (1992). Since 1993 he has served as a visiting professor of English at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan.
Vanderhaeghe lives with his wife in Saskatoon.
Vanderhaeghe's first book, Man Descending: selected stories (1982), was winner of a Governor General's Award and the United Kingdom's Faber Prize. A novel, The Englishman's Boy (1996), won him a second Governor General's Award for Fiction and the Saskatchewan Book Award for Fiction and for Best Book of the Year, and it was shortlisted for both the Giller Prize and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
He is perhaps best-known for The Last Crossing (2001), a national bestseller and winner of the Saskatoon Book Award, the Saskatchewan Book Awards for Fiction and for Book of the Year, and the Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award for Fiction Book of the Year. The novel was selected for the 2004 edition of Canada Reads as the book that should be read by all Canadians.
In 2003, Vanderhaeghe was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Vanderhaeghe received his Bachelor of Arts degree with great distinction in 1971, High Honours in History in 1972 and Master of Arts in History in 1975, all from the University of Saskatchewan. In 1978 he received his Bachelor of Education with great distinction from the University of Regina. In 1973 he was Research Officer, Institute for Northern Studies, University of Saskatchewan and, from 1974 until 1977, he worked as Archival and Library Assistant at the university. From 1975 to 1977 he was a freelance writer and editor and in 1978 and 1979 taught English and history at Herbert High School in Herbert, Saskatchewan. In 1983 and 1984 he was Writer-in-Residence with the Saskatoon Public Library and in 1985 Writer-in-Residence at the University of Ottawa. He has been a Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Ottawa (1985-86), faculty member of the Writing Program of the Banff Centre for the Arts (1990-91), faculty member in charge of senior fiction students in the SAGE Hills Creative Writing Program (1992). Since 1993 he has served as a visiting professor of English at St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan.
Vanderhaeghe lives with his wife in Saskatoon.
Vanderhaeghe's first book, Man Descending: selected stories (1982), was winner of a Governor General's Award and the United Kingdom's Faber Prize. A novel, The Englishman's Boy (1996), won him a second Governor General's Award for Fiction and the Saskatchewan Book Award for Fiction and for Best Book of the Year, and it was shortlisted for both the Giller Prize and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
He is perhaps best-known for The Last Crossing (2001), a national bestseller and winner of the Saskatoon Book Award, the Saskatchewan Book Awards for Fiction and for Book of the Year, and the Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award for Fiction Book of the Year. The novel was selected for the 2004 edition of Canada Reads as the book that should be read by all Canadians.
In 2003, Vanderhaeghe was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
December 10, 2020
Note to self: read more Canadian authors in 2021. I am, after all, Canadian.
Vanderhaeghe's debut , Man Descending, winner of the Governor Generals award, is a well crafted, eclectic collection of 12 short stories that will elicit a wide range of emotions. I really enjoyed the authors Frontier series of which The Englishman's Boy won the same award. I just wish he was more prolific.
Vanderhaeghe's debut , Man Descending, winner of the Governor Generals award, is a well crafted, eclectic collection of 12 short stories that will elicit a wide range of emotions. I really enjoyed the authors Frontier series of which The Englishman's Boy won the same award. I just wish he was more prolific.
June 19, 2024
Not as refined or gripping as Vanderhaeghe's best novels, but come on! The Englishman's Boy and August Into Winter are outstanding.
Man Descending includes some enjoyable stories - stories of growing up, of parent-child relationships, of marriage. It is the beginning of Vanderhaeghe's journey towards becoming one of Saskatchewan's best authors.
Man Descending includes some enjoyable stories - stories of growing up, of parent-child relationships, of marriage. It is the beginning of Vanderhaeghe's journey towards becoming one of Saskatchewan's best authors.
August 27, 2021
Keeping with the strong tradition of under-the-radar Canadian short story writers who will knock your socks off, Mr. Vanderhaeghe doesn't let us down with a stellar collection of stories that capture men and boys in conflicting situations where they learn something profound or shocking about themselves or the world in general. Highly recommended for short story fans.
December 29, 2012
A great collection of stories...some quite dark, but this book, as an anthology of Vanderhaeghe's writing, hits you in the gut. I like this author a lot.
July 24, 2017
A compilation of 12 short stories with characters ranging from young boys to old men, across varied landscapes from England to Saskatchewan. Evocative writing and eloqent prose throughout!
October 20, 2010
A heck of a collection.
August 19, 2017
A treasure ...
October 25, 2020
An absolutely incredible collection of stories. While definitely a product of its time, the stories capture in poignant detail the turbulent nature of life as a man, dealing with love, desperation, mortality.
Vanderhaeghe writes in such a prosaic yet economic fashion that every word serves a purpose without the text losing any sense of nuance or efficacy. His mix of descriptive realism with atmospheric clarity makes this collection ultimately enlightening and refreshing, even almost 40 years later.
There are some very outdated concepts and even offensive ideas splayed out on some of the stories, and much like many of the prose written in the 20th century claiming to chronicle the “human condition”, the stories very much only gives the reader glimpses of the minds of white (Canadian) men. Even so, the breadth and diversity of these characters are evocative, if not representative, of the experiences of men all over the world across time. Through the characters we experience the loss of pride, the rush of teenage love, the strengthening of faith, the struggle for masculinity, and ultimately the search for the self.
Vanderhaeghe writes in such a prosaic yet economic fashion that every word serves a purpose without the text losing any sense of nuance or efficacy. His mix of descriptive realism with atmospheric clarity makes this collection ultimately enlightening and refreshing, even almost 40 years later.
There are some very outdated concepts and even offensive ideas splayed out on some of the stories, and much like many of the prose written in the 20th century claiming to chronicle the “human condition”, the stories very much only gives the reader glimpses of the minds of white (Canadian) men. Even so, the breadth and diversity of these characters are evocative, if not representative, of the experiences of men all over the world across time. Through the characters we experience the loss of pride, the rush of teenage love, the strengthening of faith, the struggle for masculinity, and ultimately the search for the self.
August 8, 2014
“Man Descending” emphasizes the personal insecurities people disguise from one another, and the position we all assume within social classes. Ed’s epiphany about his social position corresponds to the main idea of the story that “We all ripen” (pg. 220), and upon ripening we begin to rot. Ed is so fixated on this idea that he finds himself trapped in a self-fulfilling prophecy. With his pessimistic attitude he declares, “…I am a man descending.” (pg. 220), and by declaring this he begins to believe it. He loses sight of the many positives life can bring, and struggles to preserve meaning within his own. He becomes very detached, and in the process loses his job and his wife, Victoria, to another man.
Vanderhaeghe uses complexity in his language to depict each character’s social position. When Ed and his wife are arguing, it is said she “Planted her legs definitely and solidly apart, signifying that she will not be moved” (pg. 215). This descriptive language used by Vanderhaeghe contrives meaning regarding Victoria’s social position within her marriage. From this quote, the reader can derive her social position to be a strong, definite one, bordering on stubborn.
In addition to the descriptive language used to convey the various characters’ social positions, the setting also plays an important role. Through the setting of “Man Descending”, the reader can build on their understanding of each character. For example, the setting of the New Year’s Eve party allows for comparison of the main characters’ social positions against the guests at the party. Prior to the party, Vanderhaeghe amplifies the mood of the story by progressively showing Ed consuming alcohol throughout almost every scene. In showing this, the reader can understand that Ed feels inadequate compared to everyone else at the party.
From the party to the ending scene featuring the fight between Ed and Victoria’s lover, a very important unraveling of character occurs. It is an unraveling, or descending, of Ed’s social position as he resorts to physical violence. Ed has reached the point of no return, and he states with “Injuries so old could likely not be healed. Not by me.” (pg. 228). This conveys his doubts about his own capabilities. The “Man Descending” continues in downfall, yielding no hope for its characters. It descends until Ed has hit the lowest point where it is unimaginable that he can sink any lower. With this the story concludes that he has now crashed, forever living a cynical life as long as his mindset remains the same.
Vanderhaeghe uses complexity in his language to depict each character’s social position. When Ed and his wife are arguing, it is said she “Planted her legs definitely and solidly apart, signifying that she will not be moved” (pg. 215). This descriptive language used by Vanderhaeghe contrives meaning regarding Victoria’s social position within her marriage. From this quote, the reader can derive her social position to be a strong, definite one, bordering on stubborn.
In addition to the descriptive language used to convey the various characters’ social positions, the setting also plays an important role. Through the setting of “Man Descending”, the reader can build on their understanding of each character. For example, the setting of the New Year’s Eve party allows for comparison of the main characters’ social positions against the guests at the party. Prior to the party, Vanderhaeghe amplifies the mood of the story by progressively showing Ed consuming alcohol throughout almost every scene. In showing this, the reader can understand that Ed feels inadequate compared to everyone else at the party.
From the party to the ending scene featuring the fight between Ed and Victoria’s lover, a very important unraveling of character occurs. It is an unraveling, or descending, of Ed’s social position as he resorts to physical violence. Ed has reached the point of no return, and he states with “Injuries so old could likely not be healed. Not by me.” (pg. 228). This conveys his doubts about his own capabilities. The “Man Descending” continues in downfall, yielding no hope for its characters. It descends until Ed has hit the lowest point where it is unimaginable that he can sink any lower. With this the story concludes that he has now crashed, forever living a cynical life as long as his mindset remains the same.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2025
Man Descending by Guy Vanderhaeghe
A collection of great short stories by a Canadian author who has won several Canadian and British awards. I was impressed with his unique plots for the stories and with his crafting of each sentence. I’ll start with a sample of his writing:
“I trailed after her as she slopped back into the house in a pair of badly mauled, laceless sneakers. The house was filled with a half-light that changed its texture with every room. The venetian blinds were drawn in the parlor and some flies carved Immelmanns in the dark air that smelled of cellar damp. Others battered their bullet bodies tip-tap, tip-tap against the window panes. [I looked it up: Immelmann is an airplane loop to reverse direction named after a German pilot in WW I.]
Some examples of the dozen stories:
The story, The Watcher, begins with humor. A young boy is dumped off at the Grandma from hell while his parents work out their marriage. He tells Grandma ‘People can’t smoke around me because I have asthma.’ She tells him ‘Well you won’t like it here then. I smoke all the time.’ Then Grandma’s hard-luck daughter arrives back home with her nasty live-in boyfriend. Grandma and the boy figure out how to take care of him.
In Reunion, a man and his wife go to her annual family summer barbecue. All her brothers are financially better off then him and he feels like a loser. The men all drink too much and a fistfight breaks out. She realizes her husband is a loser and she’s done with him. Until he figures out a unique way to win her back.
How the Story Ends features a live-in uncle who reads his nephew Bible stories. The story of Abraham and his son Isaac traumatizes the boy.
In Cages, a father’s main goal is keeping his two teenaged sons out of the cage elevators of the mines where he works. The older boy is extroverted, daring good-looking, getting any girl he wants, and has already been in trouble with the police. But the elder is still clearly his father’s favorite. The younger son, opposite in many ways to his brother, realizes he can earn more of his father’s affection by making a pledge.
In A Taste for Perfection, a Jewish hospital orderly dreams of emigrating to Israel. He could do so, so why doesn’t he?
Going to Russia has good advice for all married men having an affair: don’t let your artist girlfriend paint you in the nude.
The last two stories, Man Descending and Sam, Soren and Ed, feature men in troubled marriages who want to keep their wives. Both have some combination of ‘loser’ traits: unemployed, ambitionless, lazy, violent, alcoholic. Can the men change and keep their wives? In one case, ‘maybe.’ In the other, ‘you’re incapable of change. I know it, and you know it too. Here’s your last kiss.’
Great stories with excellent writing, worth a '5.'. I intend to try one of his dozen or so novels. Based on the relatively small number of ratings and (good) reviews on GR, I think this author is deserving of more readership.
Top photo taken in the hometown of the author in Saskatchewan. From tourismsaskatchewan.com
The author (b. 1951) from randomhouse.com
A collection of great short stories by a Canadian author who has won several Canadian and British awards. I was impressed with his unique plots for the stories and with his crafting of each sentence. I’ll start with a sample of his writing:
“I trailed after her as she slopped back into the house in a pair of badly mauled, laceless sneakers. The house was filled with a half-light that changed its texture with every room. The venetian blinds were drawn in the parlor and some flies carved Immelmanns in the dark air that smelled of cellar damp. Others battered their bullet bodies tip-tap, tip-tap against the window panes. [I looked it up: Immelmann is an airplane loop to reverse direction named after a German pilot in WW I.]
Some examples of the dozen stories:
The story, The Watcher, begins with humor. A young boy is dumped off at the Grandma from hell while his parents work out their marriage. He tells Grandma ‘People can’t smoke around me because I have asthma.’ She tells him ‘Well you won’t like it here then. I smoke all the time.’ Then Grandma’s hard-luck daughter arrives back home with her nasty live-in boyfriend. Grandma and the boy figure out how to take care of him.
In Reunion, a man and his wife go to her annual family summer barbecue. All her brothers are financially better off then him and he feels like a loser. The men all drink too much and a fistfight breaks out. She realizes her husband is a loser and she’s done with him. Until he figures out a unique way to win her back.
How the Story Ends features a live-in uncle who reads his nephew Bible stories. The story of Abraham and his son Isaac traumatizes the boy.
In Cages, a father’s main goal is keeping his two teenaged sons out of the cage elevators of the mines where he works. The older boy is extroverted, daring good-looking, getting any girl he wants, and has already been in trouble with the police. But the elder is still clearly his father’s favorite. The younger son, opposite in many ways to his brother, realizes he can earn more of his father’s affection by making a pledge.
In A Taste for Perfection, a Jewish hospital orderly dreams of emigrating to Israel. He could do so, so why doesn’t he?
Going to Russia has good advice for all married men having an affair: don’t let your artist girlfriend paint you in the nude.
The last two stories, Man Descending and Sam, Soren and Ed, feature men in troubled marriages who want to keep their wives. Both have some combination of ‘loser’ traits: unemployed, ambitionless, lazy, violent, alcoholic. Can the men change and keep their wives? In one case, ‘maybe.’ In the other, ‘you’re incapable of change. I know it, and you know it too. Here’s your last kiss.’
Great stories with excellent writing, worth a '5.'. I intend to try one of his dozen or so novels. Based on the relatively small number of ratings and (good) reviews on GR, I think this author is deserving of more readership.
Top photo taken in the hometown of the author in Saskatchewan. From tourismsaskatchewan.com
The author (b. 1951) from randomhouse.com
April 9, 2023
I’ve been meaning to read this for a long time but might never have if it weren’t for book club. Author lives in my province and goes to many of the restaurants and bars I went to in university.
This doesn’t feel like short stories but more many connected novellas. At times I could really feel my home province and other times I felt the period of time and style as being similar to many of the strong American writers we studied in school. Seriously reminded me of Steinbeck at times but more…
I really appreciated this book but like Alice Alice Munro Monro (another great Canadian author) I don’t think I can read too much at a time as it gets too depressing and deep. These are not happy characters who are doing well in life. These are characters who often recognize that they are a “man descending” and are ok with that.
This took me a long time to read but agree with the afterward that if I read it again I would see different things. If I studied it, I would be taught about the choice of language.
Recommend for when you want to think.
This doesn’t feel like short stories but more many connected novellas. At times I could really feel my home province and other times I felt the period of time and style as being similar to many of the strong American writers we studied in school. Seriously reminded me of Steinbeck at times but more…
I really appreciated this book but like Alice Alice Munro Monro (another great Canadian author) I don’t think I can read too much at a time as it gets too depressing and deep. These are not happy characters who are doing well in life. These are characters who often recognize that they are a “man descending” and are ok with that.
This took me a long time to read but agree with the afterward that if I read it again I would see different things. If I studied it, I would be taught about the choice of language.
Recommend for when you want to think.
September 5, 2019
I first encountered Guy Vanderhaeghe's writing when I read The Last Crossing, which is a remarkably good novel. I have read a couple of his short stories (including "The Watcher", which is the first story in this volume) and enjoyed some of his editing, so I was looking forward to reading this collection. I was not disappointed. Oddly, Kierkegaard gets the last word in the last story, and in between are some memorable tales well told. My favorites are "Drummer" and "Cages", both featuring the profane but immensely witty Billy Simpson. There are a couple of weaker moments in the book, but overall it is a very satisfying and worthwhile read by one of Canada's literary lights.
Read
December 2, 2022I won't give this book a rating as I didn't finish reading it. I've read a few of Mr. Vanderhaeghe's novels and have enjoyed his writing. I couldn't finish reading the first story from Man Descending, i.e., The Watcher. The protagonist, Charlie, terribly abused a rooster and I couldn't read any further. It upset me so much. It was a very cruel act. I guess I wasn't expecting something like that of Charlie. That was it for me. Sorry Guy. I do normally enjoy your stories.
Read
May 26, 2025I enjoyed this collection of stories, some more than others, but all were well written. The author's interesting use of language and the vivid, unusual descriptions were captivating. Exploring relationships and revealing inner experiences, extremes of vulnerability, violence and desperation were the hallmark of these stories, but there was humour too.
February 7, 2023
This month's book club pick, short stories, not generally my jam. Fabulous writing, spare and impactful. Twelve stories where the male protagonist was at a crossroads in his life and a decision had to be made. Some chose wisely, others not so much.
January 27, 2024
I was able to read this story for one of my uni classes and I enjoyed it! It’s a nice little collection of short stories that range from topics of religion, power, social class and masculinity. My favourite story was definitely the title story, Man Descending.
May 16, 2018
4.5. A cracking collection of stories.
February 27, 2022
This is a series of seemingly mundane stories that amazed me. I truly enjoyed about half of them, the others were ok. Humour was used excellently.
November 20, 2022
Every one of these stories is a tiny perfect gem.
I highly recommend this book. Guy Vanderhaeghe is comparable to Alice Munroe and Mavis Gallant. A Canadian treaure, really…
I highly recommend this book. Guy Vanderhaeghe is comparable to Alice Munroe and Mavis Gallant. A Canadian treaure, really…
Read
November 27, 2023i only read drummer but i put the whole thing to make up for lost reading. good stuff i enjoyed it🫡
March 19, 2024
4.5 stars I loved these short stories!!! Very interesting to read about rural prairie towns.
May 6, 2024
When it comes to short stories he's really one of the best there ever was.
August 1, 2024
If you like Vanderhaeghe as a writer, you’ll probably like this book.
November 13, 2024
I enjoyed the various characters in the short stories.
January 6, 2025
Odd but compelling nonetheless.
Read
January 24, 2025idk had to read for a class
April 16, 2009
An excellent collection of short stories. All of them had the same basic core: a family with one man (even with women around) who is an outcast or alone in some way. Often the family situation or the man's personal situation is going downhill fast, and the story focuses on how the protagonist deals with the situation. Do they stay and make the best of it, do they leave for something new, do they descend even further into decrepitude, do they become part of the "system" or whatever it is that's around them?
The last two stories are the best in terms of bringing up the main overriding theme of the collection, with the second-last providing the quote that titles the collection:
"His life, like every other life, could be graphed: an ascent that rises to a peak, pauses at a particular node, and then descends. Only the gradient changes in any particular case....We all ripen. We are all bound by the same ineluctable law; the same mathematical certainty.
"...I have begun the inevitable descent, the leisurely glissade which will finally topple me at the bottom of my own graph. A man descending is propelled by inertia; the only initiative left him is whether or not he decides to enjoy the passing scene." (192-193)
This collection explores a variety of descents, and Vanderhaeghe's diversity of settings and characters is excellent. The only suggestion I would make is not to read them all in one shot -- read them one at a time, puzzle them over, enjoy some of the great lines they offer. And when you're done, why not try the album of the same name by Justin Rutledge, a Canadian singer-songwriter? It was inspired by this collection (although there are no obvious links that I have found, in terms of song themes/lyrics directly mentioning the stories) and is similarly well crafted.
The last two stories are the best in terms of bringing up the main overriding theme of the collection, with the second-last providing the quote that titles the collection:
"His life, like every other life, could be graphed: an ascent that rises to a peak, pauses at a particular node, and then descends. Only the gradient changes in any particular case....We all ripen. We are all bound by the same ineluctable law; the same mathematical certainty.
"...I have begun the inevitable descent, the leisurely glissade which will finally topple me at the bottom of my own graph. A man descending is propelled by inertia; the only initiative left him is whether or not he decides to enjoy the passing scene." (192-193)
This collection explores a variety of descents, and Vanderhaeghe's diversity of settings and characters is excellent. The only suggestion I would make is not to read them all in one shot -- read them one at a time, puzzle them over, enjoy some of the great lines they offer. And when you're done, why not try the album of the same name by Justin Rutledge, a Canadian singer-songwriter? It was inspired by this collection (although there are no obvious links that I have found, in terms of song themes/lyrics directly mentioning the stories) and is similarly well crafted.
September 1, 2014
I was going to give this four stars, but fuck it. I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I was going to. In high school, I read Guy Vanderhaeghe's The Englishman's Boy. I hated that book with a fucking passion - pedestrian writing, pedestrian plotting, pedestrian everything. (Even now, many years and many brain cells removed from that experience, I don't think I'll ever be able to read that book, again.)
So this was an incredible surprise.
These stories, although they are rather simple, are written with deeply felt emotion. These stories reminded me quite a bit of Alice Munro's, in that there is a sadness in them that really becomes clear as you reach the final lines. They sucker punch you, in a way.
And when I say that these stories are simple, I don't mean it disparagingly. I just mean that the goal here isn't to weave complex intellectual thematic content. They are emotional and experiential, almost traditional. Folksy, too.
The only issue is that, story to story, the situations are a bit too familiar. The first half of the book deals exclusively with young men, just after WWII, living in troubled familial situations, in rural Saskatchewan, with aggressive fathers and weak mothers, etc. But that is easily forgiven, since each of them was interesting.
I have to say, though, that "The Expatriates' Party" and "Dancing Bear" did almost nothing for me. Unlike the other stories in the collection, I put them aside in the middle of them to watch an episode or two of Louie.
Overall, though, I would say that this collection was damned successful. It really speaks to issues of masculinity (the penis issue in "Going to Russia" was hilarious), morality, family, love, innocence, insanity, and (heartbreakingly in "A Taste for Perfection") mortality.
5 Insane Old Men out of 5
So this was an incredible surprise.
These stories, although they are rather simple, are written with deeply felt emotion. These stories reminded me quite a bit of Alice Munro's, in that there is a sadness in them that really becomes clear as you reach the final lines. They sucker punch you, in a way.
And when I say that these stories are simple, I don't mean it disparagingly. I just mean that the goal here isn't to weave complex intellectual thematic content. They are emotional and experiential, almost traditional. Folksy, too.
The only issue is that, story to story, the situations are a bit too familiar. The first half of the book deals exclusively with young men, just after WWII, living in troubled familial situations, in rural Saskatchewan, with aggressive fathers and weak mothers, etc. But that is easily forgiven, since each of them was interesting.
I have to say, though, that "The Expatriates' Party" and "Dancing Bear" did almost nothing for me. Unlike the other stories in the collection, I put them aside in the middle of them to watch an episode or two of Louie.
Overall, though, I would say that this collection was damned successful. It really speaks to issues of masculinity (the penis issue in "Going to Russia" was hilarious), morality, family, love, innocence, insanity, and (heartbreakingly in "A Taste for Perfection") mortality.
5 Insane Old Men out of 5
May 6, 2012
(8/10) When it comes to writers like Guy Vanderhaeghe, "craftsmanship" is the word that first comes to mind. None of these stories are flashy or innovative like the academic postmodern writers I'm used to reading, but they have a kind of power all their own. The stories in this collection are about the deep scars that relationships between people leave, and how the most poisonous of these relationships can also be our most valuable. What I remember two months on is not the details of any one particular narrative, but the general mood: a foggy, haunting sort of moment, where the familiar becomes just a bit horrific.
Of course, it's a short story collection, so some of the stories are going to be better than others, and it doesn't really congeal into a satisfying whole. But there are fantastic bits of writing in here -- "Going to Russia" comes to mind -- that more than make up for the duller Canadian-realist bits. Guy Vanderhaeghe is a writer's writer, and that is probably not the best method for becoming a best-selling author, but I think it's pretty high praise nonetheless.
Of course, it's a short story collection, so some of the stories are going to be better than others, and it doesn't really congeal into a satisfying whole. But there are fantastic bits of writing in here -- "Going to Russia" comes to mind -- that more than make up for the duller Canadian-realist bits. Guy Vanderhaeghe is a writer's writer, and that is probably not the best method for becoming a best-selling author, but I think it's pretty high praise nonetheless.
March 1, 2015
This was an okay book, but I had trouble getting into it. I like the premise, which is that each story shows a man who is on a downward spiral. He has lost or is about to lose something very important. The stories follow the man as he lives through this loss. Some of them come through with dignity, others... with less dignity.
The things I liked about this book are that 1) it felt very Canadian, and 2) the stories were acurate portrayals of how a man might react in such situations.
I know with a title like Man Descending, the stories are obviously all about men, but I would have liked to have a few women in the mix, just the same.
The things I liked about this book are that 1) it felt very Canadian, and 2) the stories were acurate portrayals of how a man might react in such situations.
I know with a title like Man Descending, the stories are obviously all about men, but I would have liked to have a few women in the mix, just the same.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews