Vito Loves Geraldine

by Janice Eidus

In these eighteen stories Janice Eidus, with comic and tender irony, casts a sharp eye upon contemporary myths of romance, rebellion, and self-discovery. "Janice Eidus . . . possesses a fierce imagination . . . inventive and darkly amusing." — New York Times Book Review "Janice Eidus is a sprightly Chaucerian observer not averse to thinking. When she goes in deep and rides the treadmill of the psyche with her people, she makes marginality poignant and nervousness a gift. She is to be praised." —Paul West, Rat Man of Paris "Eidus sometimes revels profitlessly in the weird, but she can also take a bizarre situation and make it wholly human and touching, as in ""Robin's Nest,"" about a girl growing up with a mute, birdlike mother. In the triumphant title story, a teased-hair tough girl from the Bronx grows into middle age while waiting for her doo-wop singing lover to come back for her; long after the reader knows she is deluded, he does. Some stories are just right . . . but all are distinguished by irony, intelligence, and unexpected moments of tenderness. — Kirkus Reviews "Chances are you'll fall in love with narrator Geraldine Rizzoli, just the way skinny doo-wop star Vito Venecio did when they were in high school in the Bronx in the 1950s . . ." —Nancy Pete, Orlando Sentinel Janice Eidus, winner of two O. Henry Prizes, is the author of novels Faithful Rebecca and Urban Bliss (City Lights), and the short story collections Vito Loves Geraldine , and The Celibacy Club , both also published by City Lights Publishers. She lives in New York City.

Genres: Fiction

169 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1990

Reviews

[Alex De Vera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janice Eidus’ short story collection, Vito Loves Geraldine (City Lights Publishers), is a rare accomplishment among works of female discontent stemming from unhappy childhoods and broken relationships that lead to insecure marriages and friendships. In each story, the female protagonist is more or less someone whose life was determined prematurely, either as a girl before puberty (“Davida’s Own”) or as a young wife (“Vanna” and “A Comb and a Snake”). Yet many of the characters still reach the point of self-actualization, manifesting desires long since repressed and joyfully embraced.

The title story, which received an O. Henry Prize, is the classic narrative of a headstrong girl willingly waiting for her lover while he sets off to earn his fame and fortune. While she bides her time in the old neighborhood and her friends marry and bear children (and grandchildren), she follows stories of her high school sweetheart marrying and losing himself to drugs--but only to come back to her in the end. Although a simple story of enduring love between two people, it formally paves the way for the other stories to follow, illustrating the tension between being a woman and the choice to define herself as a person.

Eidus flirts with the notion of womanhood, weaving tales of females trying to find what it is to be a woman, eventually shedding that label and becoming her own self. In stories such as “The Dreaded Female Locker Room Talk,” “The Resolution of Muscle,” and “Safe,” the author demonstrates the minimal differences between men and women in speech, physicality, and life priorities, respectively. Her stories mostly follow the trajectory of women in a state of confusion coming to terms with desires that are not at all “womanly” but are necessary for their wellbeing.

While many of the stories still leave much to be explained, the characters remain flawed and yet relatable women. Just as they wrestle with ideas that attempt to define them, the author reveals their individual natures that desire to be neither masculine nor feminine, but are regardless of gender tendencies overall.

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one of Bruce's infinite collection of books on the Bronx.

It's set in the Arthur Avenue area in the 50s, which isn't too far from where I live, and is still an awesome "Little Italy."

The titular story is sweet, a little sad, but with a happy ending. I kept humming "Love is a Losing Game" by Amy Winehouse as I read through it.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found most of the stories in this book to be somewhat pretentious, but I loved the title story. Eidus really captures the energy of the Belmont area, and beautifully balances the humor and pain of aging, even as she frames it in a style that hearkens back to fairy tales.

[Steven Felicelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

My enjoyment of this book was uneven, but I really loved a couple of the stories.

And I love that her name sounds like a medical term for two-faced inflammation.

[wonkagranny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed these stories. Eidus is a first rate author and teacher.