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Dumped
Literature is full of lyrical odes to the glory of falling in love. But what of its opposite -- the moment when it becomes clear that things are indisputably over? Dumped is a survey of every type of romantic crack-up, a group of stories full of the hilarity, wisdom, insight, and sometimes, yes, fierce revenges of some of the most memorable broken hearts in recent literature. Dumped sheds light on what can be the toughest part of human relations -- whether newly elucidating the misery we've all endured, or merely reminding us that others have had it far worse -- from the mother in Elizabeth Berg's Open House absurdly attempting to tell her son his father has left, to the betrayed wife in Roald Dahl's "Lamb to Slaughter," who beats her husband to death with a leg of lamb, then cooks it for the police. With contributions from such notable authors as Will Self, Saul Bellow, Alice Munro, Raymond Carver, Lorrie Moore, Dorothy Parker, Andre Dubus, and Tobias Wolff, as well as rising stars like Lucinda Rosenfeld and Steve Almond, Dumped spans every variety of romantic catastrophe and every possible response to it; from the wise to the hilarious, the bitter to the bittersweet. This book is the panacea for problems of the heart.
368 pages, Paperback
First published December 26, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 17, 2016
OK, I think I 19ve learned all about the feeling being 1Cdumped 1D, but I 19d be hard pressed to describe the desperation and anguish that comes with it in words. Thank you to the 1CDumped 1D anthology, I get the chance to see my favorite authors fill the holes in their hearts with the most poignant of short stories.
Lorrie Moore 19s 1CWilling 1D is a masterpiece of true sadness. Alice Munro 19s 1CSpanish Lady 1D is about unpeeling the pain deep inside of you. And Raold Dahl 19s 1CLamb to Slaughter 1D is vivid evidence that we are all capable of making a violent bounce off the floor when we get 1Cdumped 1D.
But the two I want to mention today lack any concrete structure or predictable outcome. The main characters seem to deny any solid reasons for their damaged relationships. They act hurt at the unfairness of it all. The truth is these two weren 19t real solid characters to begin with 13 They both are lacking in honesty and/or self-respect. They 19re both hollow. That 19s probably why they were unable to detect the cracks in their relationships: nothing leaked out.
In Haruki Murakami 19s 1CUFO in Kushiro 1D, the main character is left with little explanation of why his wife leaves him beyond a vague note: 1CYou have nothing inside of you that you can give me.. 1D
The story takes place during a devastating earthquake in Kobe, Japan. In fact, it 19s news of the earthquake that changes everything in their relationship. There 19s fires and crumbled buildings and tragic deaths, but there is no more love 26 Komura looks at his 1Cdumping 1D from a cause and effect perspective. He doesn 19t have what it takes to look inside of himself. I suppose that 19s what she has tried to tell him in the note. For the rest of the story, he thinks less of her and more of what is missing inside of him.
It 19s through the weirdness of Murakami 19s storytelling that we learn that certain emotions don 19t necessarily have a biological or even rational origin. Murakami sends Komura looking for answers in an entirely different direction. His boss sets him up on a road trip to get his mind off his loss. He gives him some phony story of needing a package delivered. He even throws two prostitutes to sweeten the deal. Hey, it 19s better than Dr. Laura! Komura gets laid and hurt, but in the end he learns what everyone already knows: by the time you understand the problem, it 19s way too late to do anything about it.
William Trevor 19s 1CAccess to the Children 1D stands out over all the others because of the kids in the title. Malcomson, the main character, only wishes that he could go to a prostitute to solve his problems. Everyone knows what it 19s like to lose a lover, but what is it like to lose your senses in front of the kids you love. Malcomson gambled away his marriage by entering a tawdry behavior, but in the end he loses something more important to him than love and trust 13 his sense of dignity slowly dissipates.
Trevor has him drinking increasingly in front of his own kids (who he loves dearly!). He tries to hide it. He tries to plan it. He tries to organize how he is going to behave in his own mind. But each and every day, he gets more and more wasted. You see it 19s not that he 19s lost a woman; he 19s lost his self-respect. 1CIt 19s too ridiculous to be true, 1D he says of his predicament. Of course, in his predicament, he would be the last person to know the truth.
Murakami and Trevor show how shallow and hollow people can still experience the deepest of pain.
Lorrie Moore 19s 1CWilling 1D is a masterpiece of true sadness. Alice Munro 19s 1CSpanish Lady 1D is about unpeeling the pain deep inside of you. And Raold Dahl 19s 1CLamb to Slaughter 1D is vivid evidence that we are all capable of making a violent bounce off the floor when we get 1Cdumped 1D.
But the two I want to mention today lack any concrete structure or predictable outcome. The main characters seem to deny any solid reasons for their damaged relationships. They act hurt at the unfairness of it all. The truth is these two weren 19t real solid characters to begin with 13 They both are lacking in honesty and/or self-respect. They 19re both hollow. That 19s probably why they were unable to detect the cracks in their relationships: nothing leaked out.
In Haruki Murakami 19s 1CUFO in Kushiro 1D, the main character is left with little explanation of why his wife leaves him beyond a vague note: 1CYou have nothing inside of you that you can give me.. 1D
The story takes place during a devastating earthquake in Kobe, Japan. In fact, it 19s news of the earthquake that changes everything in their relationship. There 19s fires and crumbled buildings and tragic deaths, but there is no more love 26 Komura looks at his 1Cdumping 1D from a cause and effect perspective. He doesn 19t have what it takes to look inside of himself. I suppose that 19s what she has tried to tell him in the note. For the rest of the story, he thinks less of her and more of what is missing inside of him.
It 19s through the weirdness of Murakami 19s storytelling that we learn that certain emotions don 19t necessarily have a biological or even rational origin. Murakami sends Komura looking for answers in an entirely different direction. His boss sets him up on a road trip to get his mind off his loss. He gives him some phony story of needing a package delivered. He even throws two prostitutes to sweeten the deal. Hey, it 19s better than Dr. Laura! Komura gets laid and hurt, but in the end he learns what everyone already knows: by the time you understand the problem, it 19s way too late to do anything about it.
William Trevor 19s 1CAccess to the Children 1D stands out over all the others because of the kids in the title. Malcomson, the main character, only wishes that he could go to a prostitute to solve his problems. Everyone knows what it 19s like to lose a lover, but what is it like to lose your senses in front of the kids you love. Malcomson gambled away his marriage by entering a tawdry behavior, but in the end he loses something more important to him than love and trust 13 his sense of dignity slowly dissipates.
Trevor has him drinking increasingly in front of his own kids (who he loves dearly!). He tries to hide it. He tries to plan it. He tries to organize how he is going to behave in his own mind. But each and every day, he gets more and more wasted. You see it 19s not that he 19s lost a woman; he 19s lost his self-respect. 1CIt 19s too ridiculous to be true, 1D he says of his predicament. Of course, in his predicament, he would be the last person to know the truth.
Murakami and Trevor show how shallow and hollow people can still experience the deepest of pain.
January 3, 2009
This collection is like most story collections, with some great ones, and some not as great ones.
Some of the great ones are, "How to Love a Republican" by Steve Almond that takes place during the 2000 election. Unfortunately for these two opposites, the Gore/Bush election was too much to conquer. (Of course, that was expected for a story in a book called, Dumped.)
The second great one is "A Telephone Call" by Dorothy Parker which is a conversation between the female narrator and God. She is praying, pleading, BEGGING God to let 'him' call her....or at least let her not think about him not calling her, or to give her the strength not to call him, etc, etc. :) By far the most fun.
Some people think that reading a book about people getting dumped is sad, but I really enjoyed it. What's that say about me?
Some of the great ones are, "How to Love a Republican" by Steve Almond that takes place during the 2000 election. Unfortunately for these two opposites, the Gore/Bush election was too much to conquer. (Of course, that was expected for a story in a book called, Dumped.)
The second great one is "A Telephone Call" by Dorothy Parker which is a conversation between the female narrator and God. She is praying, pleading, BEGGING God to let 'him' call her....or at least let her not think about him not calling her, or to give her the strength not to call him, etc, etc. :) By far the most fun.
Some people think that reading a book about people getting dumped is sad, but I really enjoyed it. What's that say about me?
September 15, 2013
Overall I enjoyed this book but is probably not something I would choose read over and over again. I found most of the stories to be entertaining. It gave me perspective, in that one story I found myself feeling sorry for the cheater and the next the cheatee. I liked that it gave me new authors to look out for that I would otherwise not know of. Reading 15+ stories about hearts breaking did get terribly depressing. Sometimes it felt like a chore to have to get to know new characters and become invested in their story lines repeatedly.
February 21, 2010
the opening story of this collection, noah baumbach's ' a zagat history of my last relationship,' is my favorite comedic short story. ever. while dumped doesn't all go downhilll from there, but there are enough misses to even out the hits. it's worth a look if you happen on it when you find yourself in the dregs (like i did), but you could easily do the same or better.
March 11, 2011
Favorite story from this compilation: "The Fourth State of Matter" by Jo Ann Beard. It's from her book The Boys of My Youth. I added it to my to-read list. I enjoyed the few by authors I already appreciated: Alice Munro, Haruki Murakami, Richard Ford. A decent selection overall.
August 16, 2008
Great breakup stories! Especially "How to Love a Republican:" a sensitive liberal guy falls for a hot, brainy, ambitious republican woman during the 2000 elections, which ultimately tears them apart. Hilarious and heartbreaking.
July 8, 2010
Had some good stories and some not so good stories. Andre Dubus story was excellent, I really enjoyed reading that one. And one towards the end that I can't remember. Thought this book would be more funny then depressing, but alas I was wrong.
June 27, 2007
This is a nice collection of short stories, some are surprising. All of them reminded me that I was not alone in the world of break ups and losses.
November 13, 2007
the zagat restaurant reviews story is priceless.
March 30, 2008
Includes everyone from Ray Bradbury to Murakami to Steve Almond. And come on... the cover's awesome, if you're inclined to judge such things.
July 6, 2008
I picked up this book at a time when I got dumped. Collection of short stories of both males and females getting dumped. I especially loved the short story, "How to Love a Republican."
July 20, 2009
a couple of the stories were mediocre. i didnt even read the whole book. waste of time.
January 17, 2016
Skipped the Jane austin portion...not a huge Jane Austin fan. The rest of the book was good. As much as I had hoped it was nonfiction, these stories were quite interesting.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews