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Magician: Stories
Ordinary men and women and their everyday dilemmas are the deceptively simple material for this award-winning collection of stories from the author of the critically-acclaimed novel The Girls Next Door. Peter Turchi reveals a new virtuosity in eleven powerfully wrought stories that depict characters of all ages struggling to make the right choices, and often surprising themselves. In "Magician," a beautiful young actress weighs the enticing, frightening possibilities for the future with a 52-year-old-man. In "Alligator" an adolescent girl begins to understand the attractions of sex, alcohol, and deception during a family vacation. And in the subtle, disturbing "Everything I Need" a young man uprooted from a small town in Arizona seeks companionship in Chicago by attaching himself to the anonymous community of a radio call-in show. Turchi's spare yet haunting style is perfectly attuned to the rhythms and textures of quiet lives in crisis. Author Peter Turchi's his stories have appeared in Story, Ploughshares, Alaska Quarterly Review, The Colorado Review, and Puerto del Sol, among other magazines. He co-edited, with Charles Baxter, Bringing The Devil to His The Craft of Fiction and the Writing Life. He directs and teaches in the Warren Wilson College MFA Program for Writers.
- GenresShort Stories
195 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 29, 2019
Turchi has the extraordinary ability to lead the reader in one direction, only hinting at the true significance, until the end where you just have to sit back, drink a cup of coffee, and reflect on the flow, pacing, and characterization that foreshadowed the conclusion of each fantastic tale. Each story is about people we relate to, about situations we understand, and yet they are filled with illusions and trickery, aptly enhancing the collection's title and the uniqueness Turchi offers to the short story genre.
The writing itself is well thought out and satisfying, but hard to place. It's intelligent and timeless like Hemingway, but even more crisp, like Capote, and yet much more modern, like a Koontz or similar pop writer.
Despite its age, I was surprised by how relevant this collection felt. The characters aren't running around with cell phones, but other than that they are the same people I know today, they share similar feelings and emotions as myself and people I know. They even seem trendy at times! You understand them, or think you do, and for this collection that’s important.
Overall, I can't go on enough how much I enjoyed reading these short stories. "Alligator" was my personal favorite of the bunch, but "Everything I Need" "False Spring" and "Restless Sleep" were close follow-ups and all were enjoyable in some way. Short, sweet, and artistic, reading these stories remind us why not so long ago it was books that inspired us and were the topic of discussion as opposed to internet and the movies. Much to the dismay of my friends, I found myself spouting on and on about "Alligator" and how shocked I was at the end. However, I think even they would understand my obsession if they had read it themselves.
The writing itself is well thought out and satisfying, but hard to place. It's intelligent and timeless like Hemingway, but even more crisp, like Capote, and yet much more modern, like a Koontz or similar pop writer.
Despite its age, I was surprised by how relevant this collection felt. The characters aren't running around with cell phones, but other than that they are the same people I know today, they share similar feelings and emotions as myself and people I know. They even seem trendy at times! You understand them, or think you do, and for this collection that’s important.
Overall, I can't go on enough how much I enjoyed reading these short stories. "Alligator" was my personal favorite of the bunch, but "Everything I Need" "False Spring" and "Restless Sleep" were close follow-ups and all were enjoyable in some way. Short, sweet, and artistic, reading these stories remind us why not so long ago it was books that inspired us and were the topic of discussion as opposed to internet and the movies. Much to the dismay of my friends, I found myself spouting on and on about "Alligator" and how shocked I was at the end. However, I think even they would understand my obsession if they had read it themselves.
Displaying 1 of 1 review