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Damage Control: Stories
A luminous collection of short stories focusing on privilege and entitlement, from the bestselling author of The Starboard Sea
Damage Control displays Amber Dermont's remarkable gift for portraying characters at crossroads. In “Lyndon,” a daughter visits presidential landmarks following the death of her father. In “Damage Control,” a young man works at an etiquette school while his girlfriend is indicted for embezzlement. A widow rents herself to elderly women and vacations with them as a “professional grandchild” in “Stella at the Winter Palace.” And in “The Language of Martyrs” a couple houses a mail order bride on behalf of the husband’s Russian mother.
Dermont's stories have previously been published in many literary magazines and have also been featured in anthologies edited by Jane Smiley and Dave Eggers. Damage Control includes three previously unpublished pieces.
Damage Control displays Amber Dermont's remarkable gift for portraying characters at crossroads. In “Lyndon,” a daughter visits presidential landmarks following the death of her father. In “Damage Control,” a young man works at an etiquette school while his girlfriend is indicted for embezzlement. A widow rents herself to elderly women and vacations with them as a “professional grandchild” in “Stella at the Winter Palace.” And in “The Language of Martyrs” a couple houses a mail order bride on behalf of the husband’s Russian mother.
Dermont's stories have previously been published in many literary magazines and have also been featured in anthologies edited by Jane Smiley and Dave Eggers. Damage Control includes three previously unpublished pieces.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published March 19, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
May 9, 2013
Dermont's stories are consistently entertaining. Personally, I liked the bizarre elements in each story and I thought Dermont did a good job of making them believable. Without the odd pairings of people and situations, her stories would lose a lot of the allure for me. She packs her stories full of so much detail that I felt "short" is something of a misnomer given her ability to stretch my imagination and introduce me to novel situations.
May 8, 2013
Discombobulated stories lacking theme. The fantastic characters and outrageous story lines fell flat and felt forced.
May 10, 2022
Sometimes I just need a short story collection that won't rip my heart out over and over - this was it. The plots were quirky and went on just long enough. Lots of religious and mother/daughter themes. Very sidenote: Is the Alexander McQueen / Bergdorf Goodman / 9-11 anecdote true?
April 12, 2013
When I heard that this was a book about "privilege and entitlement" I wasn't sure I would relate, but the characters, while all associated with upper crust society, are also down to earth. Wealth and privilege are a theme in each story but it's not all stuffy, Emily Gilmore-esque nonsense. Amber Dermont has created fictional people that are just as faulty, quirky, interesting and fallible as people I know.
The great thing about short story collections is that if I don't like one of the stories I can just skip to the next one, but I didn't do that here. The first story starts out, "My father died because our house was infested with ladybugs." I was hooked from there on.
I don't want to give away too many of the story lines, but if I could live vicariously through the characters in Damage Control I could say that I have now smoked pot in LBJ's amphibious car, stolen a Tiffany engagement ring, lived with a Russian mail-order bride, attended a school of southern etiquette, clogged the toilets on a cruise line by flushing an elderly woman's wig, and survived abduction by an Elvis lookalike who calls himself Messiah.
That's not all, but you have to read it if you want to live vicariously yourself.
The great thing about short story collections is that if I don't like one of the stories I can just skip to the next one, but I didn't do that here. The first story starts out, "My father died because our house was infested with ladybugs." I was hooked from there on.
I don't want to give away too many of the story lines, but if I could live vicariously through the characters in Damage Control I could say that I have now smoked pot in LBJ's amphibious car, stolen a Tiffany engagement ring, lived with a Russian mail-order bride, attended a school of southern etiquette, clogged the toilets on a cruise line by flushing an elderly woman's wig, and survived abduction by an Elvis lookalike who calls himself Messiah.
That's not all, but you have to read it if you want to live vicariously yourself.
January 2, 2014
I was a bit disappointed with this collection. Many of the stories came off a bit juvenile, like something written in a college creative writing course. However, there were a couple stand out stories that I enjoyed, especially the one about the religious cult leader that kidnaps a young girl. Yet many of the stories could have been cut out of the collection and it would have improved the overall read. I struggled I make it to the end.
May 29, 2013
well written stories - great relationships and characters. a book of short stories is harder to stick with than a novel because you aren't trying to get back to an ongoing story and finish it up. i think i've had my fill with three this year. All were very good, but would be interested to read a novel from these authors.
August 15, 2013
These stories are everything— smart, entertaining, funny, generous, plausible, fantastic, horrifying, well-written. They are stories about abduction and grief, they are about family and identity, they are about aging before your time, they are about not giving up on what it is that you want most. Amber Dermont is brilliant and I recommend her books to everyone.
April 20, 2013
In the hands of a talented writer, short stories can have almost a transcendent quality, an ability to transport you into the minds of unique characters and memorable situations. I was a huge fan of Amber Dermont's debut novel, The Starboard Sea (in fact, it was one of my favorite books I read last year), so I was excited to read her new short story collection, Damage Control. And after reading the 14 stories in this collection, I was pleased to see that her writing ability continues to grow, and her career is definitely one I will continue to follow.
The characters in Dermont's stories don't follow one particular pattern—some are overly confident while some are unsure of themselves, some are lucky in love while some fight to find it. I really enjoyed nearly every story in this collection—some made me laugh, some made me think, some even made me slightly emotional, but each has remained in my mind, which I've often said is one of the hallmarks of a great writer.
Among my favorite stories were The Language of Martyrs, in which a woman tries to outsmart her boyfriend's mother but realizes that her motivations aren't quite what she imagined; Sorry, You Are Not a Winner, which told the story of a former rich girl forced to work as a maid while she cares for her ailing parents, but she never quite leaves her old mentality behind; Lyndon, in which a teenage girl and her mother take a trip to Lyndon Johnson's birthplace as a tribute to her late father; Afternoons in the Museum of Childhood, where a teenage girl who had been kidnapped by a man who called himself Messiah (a la Elizabeth Smart) deals with her life back home with her parents; and the title story, about a man who works at an etiquette school while his fiancée battles embezzlement charges and he battles scandals among the students.
A few of the stories were a little more experimental than I would have liked, but by and large, this is a tremendously entertaining and compelling collection. Dermont's voice is fresh and lively, and her stories are quite memorable. If you're a short story fan, this is a collection worth exploring. If you're not a fan of short stories, definitely pick up her novel The Starboard Sea. And remember—this author is one we'll be hearing about for a long time to come.
The characters in Dermont's stories don't follow one particular pattern—some are overly confident while some are unsure of themselves, some are lucky in love while some fight to find it. I really enjoyed nearly every story in this collection—some made me laugh, some made me think, some even made me slightly emotional, but each has remained in my mind, which I've often said is one of the hallmarks of a great writer.
Among my favorite stories were The Language of Martyrs, in which a woman tries to outsmart her boyfriend's mother but realizes that her motivations aren't quite what she imagined; Sorry, You Are Not a Winner, which told the story of a former rich girl forced to work as a maid while she cares for her ailing parents, but she never quite leaves her old mentality behind; Lyndon, in which a teenage girl and her mother take a trip to Lyndon Johnson's birthplace as a tribute to her late father; Afternoons in the Museum of Childhood, where a teenage girl who had been kidnapped by a man who called himself Messiah (a la Elizabeth Smart) deals with her life back home with her parents; and the title story, about a man who works at an etiquette school while his fiancée battles embezzlement charges and he battles scandals among the students.
A few of the stories were a little more experimental than I would have liked, but by and large, this is a tremendously entertaining and compelling collection. Dermont's voice is fresh and lively, and her stories are quite memorable. If you're a short story fan, this is a collection worth exploring. If you're not a fan of short stories, definitely pick up her novel The Starboard Sea. And remember—this author is one we'll be hearing about for a long time to come.
November 28, 2013
Ms. Dermont is at her finest when she write about heartbreak and loss, themes that are often maudlin or overly-dramatic in the hands of lesser contemporary authors. In stories like "Sorry, You Are Not a Winner," "Number One Tuna," and the title story, the protagonists feel every bit of pain that the loss of a beloved father, a lover, and even the loss of a life of privilege realistically inflict upon us, but the pain is wrapped in cotton, more of a low throb than a heart-wrenching life-stopper. Still, the dulling of the pain makes it all the more real, all the more pervasive and true, all the more worth the emotional investment.
April 26, 2013
I have never been one to enjoy short stories, I generally prefer full length novels. So when I won a free copy of this book on the Goodreads giveaways I decided to give it a try. I am glad that I did because I thoroughly enjoyed these stories. The characters were well developed and each story had its own unique way of drawing the reader in.
May 26, 2013
As much as I loved The Starboard Sea I loved this book even more. Tightly written stories beautifully crafted and often funny the narratives just pull you along from one story to the next. Possibly my favorite collection of short stories since T. Correghasan Boyle's hilarious If The River Was Whiskey.
June 9, 2013
This is a collection which should be read slowly, preferably over several years. If you read them all at once, they somehow start to cancel each other out, and become less interesting. Had to skip one of them, about pain. The last one, Camp, left me feeling more upbeat about this collection.
June 6, 2013
After reading glowing NY Times review I waited a weeks for my library hold to come up. Worth the wait. I'm not generally a fan of short story collections, but this was thoroughly involving, and instead of reading a story from time to time I read it cover to cover in two days.
January 21, 2014
A fascinating collection of stories, not unlike George Saunders' Tenth of December. Some really rewarding, some a little distasteful, but all reflecting the author's creative mind and considerable talent.
March 29, 2013
Will update with a review soon.
March 14, 2013
The more I think about these stories, the more I think I like them.
Especially a few of the longer stories near the end.
Especially a few of the longer stories near the end.
April 29, 2013
Re-upped it from the library. Really good short story collection.
May 25, 2013
She is two for two with me! Please write faster
May 30, 2013
An admirably diverse collection of stories. I am humble before Amber Dermont.
May 31, 2013
Well written stories. Went in search of her earlier books.
June 26, 2013
I really enjoyed these short stories, especially after reading her new novel, The Starboard Sea last year. She is a great writer.
July 26, 2013
This book has changed my opinion on short stories. Absolutely loved Dermont's stories and different styles of writing.
September 14, 2013
I was extremely disappointed. I cannot believe the great reviews this book received. All the stories started out great. The endings were all a disappointment.
October 12, 2016
A very eccentric collection of stories. I see a trend of mothers.
August 24, 2013
Amazing writer.
July 2, 2021
Goodness gracious, what a disaster. I had high hopes for this book, as it was recommended by someone who specializes in finding salacious fiction about rich people living their best lives. This was anything but. Sure, the premises of the first few stories are creative and sound fascinating. But then you get to the actual execution of the stories, the language (save for a few lines in each story that make you think) and the book falls flat. There's no "there" there. There's lots of depression, lots of omissions that keep you wondering but that really read like the product of a weak writer who still hasn't developed her craft to the level of "average." I came away from this book with more questions than answers, mainly about the characters and where they found themselves at the end of each story.
This collection was a slog to get through, and I certainly don't recommend it.
This collection was a slog to get through, and I certainly don't recommend it.
August 4, 2017
I dunno. A few of these stories are really good, but most underwhelmed me. Don't really know how to explain why.
September 5, 2017
SIX WORD REVIEW: Educated maids, high educators, paid travelers.
July 15, 2014
There is the deathless adage that a writer should write what she knows. Shelves of books rely on continuity of place and the strength that provides. “I Want to Show You More” by Jamie Quatro was a compilation of stories that did this particularly well; I relished the southern quirks of her Lookout Mountain. In her collection “Damage Control,” Amber Dermont rebels. From one story to the next it was a mystery as to where I would be taken. The changing ground was noticeable but not pronounced and the inconsistency in place and voice developed its own rhythm.
Dermont takes on the voice of a man running a manners school in the South and just as easily writes an absurdist piece about disappearing wives. She tacks to the left of normal and the stories and her observations are both provocative and controlled. While none of her stories are sorrowful exactly, many of the characters are teetering on the edge of loss or, more often, struggling to stay afloat in the aftermath. They are trying to define themselves against disappointment or failure or basic, human, uncertainty. Dermont confronts the contortions of self in the voice of children and adults, showcasing an immense versatility.
In many of her stories Dermont looks at the different guises we don in order to live through the reality of the present. In “Sorry, You Are Not a Winner” a woman works as a maid for her former friends in order to support her dying parents who have lost their wealth and status. The character’s apparent stoicism and acceptance of her changed circumstances is carefully parsed as the story progresses. It becomes clear that she is sharply conscious of the fine line she’s walking. The ease with which she slides between the two unmarked but distinct worlds, from cleaning the bedroom to lying in the bed, is a fascinating study in the class striations of New York City.
Elsewhere a woman navigates the terrain of her boyfriend’s Russian family and his mother’s insistence that a beautiful mail order bride live with the couple. In Los Angeles, a young man goes to his suddenly famous former roommate’s house party and finds himself battling to prove his worth to everyone, including his own mother.
Dermont is interested in the relationships between children and their parents in a way that is not overt. She turns the tables in both directions and there is the repeated reminder that one becomes the other, and that children eventually, at one point or another, parent their parents. She worries the line between filial responsibility and filial freedom, pressing against the particularly American expectation that we, the children, are endlessly deserving of better circumstances than our parents’.
There’s a brusque tenderness to Dermont’s writing. She’s not fearful of revealing the complicated truths of her characters’ lives, but an affection is evident in the way she handles them. We should all be so lucky to have our confusions and foibles handled this tenderly.
http://bookingaround.tumblr.com/post/...
Dermont takes on the voice of a man running a manners school in the South and just as easily writes an absurdist piece about disappearing wives. She tacks to the left of normal and the stories and her observations are both provocative and controlled. While none of her stories are sorrowful exactly, many of the characters are teetering on the edge of loss or, more often, struggling to stay afloat in the aftermath. They are trying to define themselves against disappointment or failure or basic, human, uncertainty. Dermont confronts the contortions of self in the voice of children and adults, showcasing an immense versatility.
In many of her stories Dermont looks at the different guises we don in order to live through the reality of the present. In “Sorry, You Are Not a Winner” a woman works as a maid for her former friends in order to support her dying parents who have lost their wealth and status. The character’s apparent stoicism and acceptance of her changed circumstances is carefully parsed as the story progresses. It becomes clear that she is sharply conscious of the fine line she’s walking. The ease with which she slides between the two unmarked but distinct worlds, from cleaning the bedroom to lying in the bed, is a fascinating study in the class striations of New York City.
Elsewhere a woman navigates the terrain of her boyfriend’s Russian family and his mother’s insistence that a beautiful mail order bride live with the couple. In Los Angeles, a young man goes to his suddenly famous former roommate’s house party and finds himself battling to prove his worth to everyone, including his own mother.
Dermont is interested in the relationships between children and their parents in a way that is not overt. She turns the tables in both directions and there is the repeated reminder that one becomes the other, and that children eventually, at one point or another, parent their parents. She worries the line between filial responsibility and filial freedom, pressing against the particularly American expectation that we, the children, are endlessly deserving of better circumstances than our parents’.
There’s a brusque tenderness to Dermont’s writing. She’s not fearful of revealing the complicated truths of her characters’ lives, but an affection is evident in the way she handles them. We should all be so lucky to have our confusions and foibles handled this tenderly.
http://bookingaround.tumblr.com/post/...
March 2, 2017
A good book of short stories , characters are unique and interesting and relatable .
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews