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Big Picture
Winner of the PEN/Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature
The characters in Big Picture, Percival Everett’s darkly comic collection of stories, are often driven to explosive, life-changing action. Everett delves into those moments when outside forces bring us to the brink of insanity or liberation.
The catalysts in Everett’s tales are surprising: a stuffed boar’s head, mounted on the wall of a diner, becomes an object of intense, inexplicable desire; a painter is driven to the point of suicide by a mute who returns day after day to mow the artist’s lawn; the loss of a pair of dentures sparks a turn toward revelation. The characters respond to their dilemmas in ways that are both unpredictable and memorable.
Everett’s highly original voice propels the reader into unfamiliar, yet unforgettable terrain: a landscape full of excitement, astonishment, and self-discovery.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
161 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1996
14 people are currently reading
321 people want to read
About the author
Percival Everett
70 books8,779 followersPercival L. Everett (born 1956) is an American writer and Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California.
There might not be a more fertile mind in American fiction today than Everett’s. In 22 years, he has written 19 books, including a farcical Western, a savage satire of the publishing industry, a children’s story spoofing counting books, retellings of the Greek myths of Medea and Dionysus, and a philosophical tract narrated by a four-year-old.
The Washington Post has called Everett “one of the most adventurously experimental of modern American novelists.” And according to The Boston Globe, “He’s literature’s NASCAR champion, going flat out, narrowly avoiding one seemingly inevitable crash only to steer straight for the next.”
Everett, who teaches courses in creative writing, American studies and critical theory, says he writes about what interests him, which explains his prolific output and the range of subjects he has tackled. He also describes himself as a demanding teacher who learns from his students as much as they learn from him.
Everett’s writing has earned him the PEN USA 2006 Literary Award (for his 2005 novel, Wounded), the Academy Award for Literature of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (for his 2001 novel, Erasure), the PEN/Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature (for his 1996 story collection, Big Picture) and the New American Writing Award (for his 1990 novel, Zulus). He has served as a judge for, among others, the 1997 National Book Award for fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 1991.
There might not be a more fertile mind in American fiction today than Everett’s. In 22 years, he has written 19 books, including a farcical Western, a savage satire of the publishing industry, a children’s story spoofing counting books, retellings of the Greek myths of Medea and Dionysus, and a philosophical tract narrated by a four-year-old.
The Washington Post has called Everett “one of the most adventurously experimental of modern American novelists.” And according to The Boston Globe, “He’s literature’s NASCAR champion, going flat out, narrowly avoiding one seemingly inevitable crash only to steer straight for the next.”
Everett, who teaches courses in creative writing, American studies and critical theory, says he writes about what interests him, which explains his prolific output and the range of subjects he has tackled. He also describes himself as a demanding teacher who learns from his students as much as they learn from him.
Everett’s writing has earned him the PEN USA 2006 Literary Award (for his 2005 novel, Wounded), the Academy Award for Literature of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (for his 2001 novel, Erasure), the PEN/Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature (for his 1996 story collection, Big Picture) and the New American Writing Award (for his 1990 novel, Zulus). He has served as a judge for, among others, the 1997 National Book Award for fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 1991.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 12, 2018
Big Picture: stories by Percival Everett
This is my fourteenth Percival Everett tome, and as usual, it’s a creation unlike all the rest of Everett’s books even though it incorporates some of his common themes: the loner; the black cowboy who travels alone; the black painter who strives to remain true to himself; love of fly fishing, color, and a host of other things.
When I read the first short story, “Cerulean,” I was left puzzled. And then something interesting happened. And a different something happened after the second story—both were physical reactions to material that passes from the page into you, almost bypassing the intellect. And because of this, I’ve decided to review each story by largely keeping the content’s secret and instead saying what happened immediately on finishing it.
__________
“Cerulean” left me mystified. The writing of what appeared to be a slightly spooky domestic drama was clear but I had no idea what this story was trying to say. I closed the book, suddenly overcome with a kind of peaceful exhaustion. I closed my eyes and this peace took over—as if I were the blue sky. Cerulean blue. I think this was the point—merging with blue of “All That Is,” and because of that, having to fake being anything else.
“Turned Out” is a very short, layered rodeo story packed with such subtle tension that it’s hard to breathe. But it ends with a release. Power is used to control oneself in a trapped situation, and when freedom comes, it makes you go oooofff and resume easiness.
“Wolf at the Door” had more intellectual resonance for me than physical: We are all wolves-at-the-door beings; our animal nature is always there. And when we kill an animal, we kill ourselves. Some of us know this and are devastated by knowing. Others ignore it.
“Dicotyles Tajacu”
This dicotyles tajacu pig plays a part in this story which is a continuation of “Cerulean,” only this time there is no release. There's just a sad feeling of being trapped, helplessly stuck in our heads as we kill off animals who are at the mercy of our screwed up heads. Sad story.
“Pissing on Snakes” made me laugh. Not a big “ha-ha” funny laugh, but a resigned one about the trials of negotiating life.
“Wash” left me feeling kind of empty and awash—washed out—so maybe that’s its point. Not satisfying, but it is what it is: sometimes you just “don’t know nothing” and are incapable of hearing anything.
“Throwing Earth” is a magnificent slice of life with a pithy rancher whose actions come from a place the mind can never touch. It’s a sad story, but an honest one. So I feel kind of like the rancher—accepting and nonverbal about it.
“Squeeze” is a Western race story. Race is never not there. It’s exhausting and it’s a squeeze on life. I feel squeezed. And not in a good way.
“Big Picture” is the big picture and it left me heaving and moaning, “Oh man.” It is so hard to be human. Even harder to be true and honest. And even harder to be a black man who is true and honest, let alone trusting. This story was the final (third) act of the character in the stories “Cerulean” and “Dicotyles Tajacu.” It gives the whole book structure.
____________
This book of short stories will frustrate readers who want clear stories, but for those who have read other Percival Everett books and are comfortable with indefinable resonance and visceral reactions, enjoy!
A Note from the Morning After Reading
The book was next to my keys, awaiting return to the library, when it hit me: In this tiny (154 pages) book of stories, Percival Everett really writes everything there is to say about the struggle to both be true to yourself—discerning what is true, and at the same time interact with and connect to others who may not see or understand your truth or even care about truth. How do you interact with a culture that is essentially a fun-house mirror?
Percival Everett has a voice that introspective people whose main concern is truth may recognize as their own.
This is my fourteenth Percival Everett tome, and as usual, it’s a creation unlike all the rest of Everett’s books even though it incorporates some of his common themes: the loner; the black cowboy who travels alone; the black painter who strives to remain true to himself; love of fly fishing, color, and a host of other things.
When I read the first short story, “Cerulean,” I was left puzzled. And then something interesting happened. And a different something happened after the second story—both were physical reactions to material that passes from the page into you, almost bypassing the intellect. And because of this, I’ve decided to review each story by largely keeping the content’s secret and instead saying what happened immediately on finishing it.
__________
“Cerulean” left me mystified. The writing of what appeared to be a slightly spooky domestic drama was clear but I had no idea what this story was trying to say. I closed the book, suddenly overcome with a kind of peaceful exhaustion. I closed my eyes and this peace took over—as if I were the blue sky. Cerulean blue. I think this was the point—merging with blue of “All That Is,” and because of that, having to fake being anything else.
“Turned Out” is a very short, layered rodeo story packed with such subtle tension that it’s hard to breathe. But it ends with a release. Power is used to control oneself in a trapped situation, and when freedom comes, it makes you go oooofff and resume easiness.
“Wolf at the Door” had more intellectual resonance for me than physical: We are all wolves-at-the-door beings; our animal nature is always there. And when we kill an animal, we kill ourselves. Some of us know this and are devastated by knowing. Others ignore it.
“Dicotyles Tajacu”
This dicotyles tajacu pig plays a part in this story which is a continuation of “Cerulean,” only this time there is no release. There's just a sad feeling of being trapped, helplessly stuck in our heads as we kill off animals who are at the mercy of our screwed up heads. Sad story.“Pissing on Snakes” made me laugh. Not a big “ha-ha” funny laugh, but a resigned one about the trials of negotiating life.
“Wash” left me feeling kind of empty and awash—washed out—so maybe that’s its point. Not satisfying, but it is what it is: sometimes you just “don’t know nothing” and are incapable of hearing anything.
“Throwing Earth” is a magnificent slice of life with a pithy rancher whose actions come from a place the mind can never touch. It’s a sad story, but an honest one. So I feel kind of like the rancher—accepting and nonverbal about it.
“Squeeze” is a Western race story. Race is never not there. It’s exhausting and it’s a squeeze on life. I feel squeezed. And not in a good way.
“Big Picture” is the big picture and it left me heaving and moaning, “Oh man.” It is so hard to be human. Even harder to be true and honest. And even harder to be a black man who is true and honest, let alone trusting. This story was the final (third) act of the character in the stories “Cerulean” and “Dicotyles Tajacu.” It gives the whole book structure.
____________
This book of short stories will frustrate readers who want clear stories, but for those who have read other Percival Everett books and are comfortable with indefinable resonance and visceral reactions, enjoy!
A Note from the Morning After Reading
The book was next to my keys, awaiting return to the library, when it hit me: In this tiny (154 pages) book of stories, Percival Everett really writes everything there is to say about the struggle to both be true to yourself—discerning what is true, and at the same time interact with and connect to others who may not see or understand your truth or even care about truth. How do you interact with a culture that is essentially a fun-house mirror?
Percival Everett has a voice that introspective people whose main concern is truth may recognize as their own.
October 1, 2015
(4.0) By the time 'Big Picture' was published, Everett had established himself as an up and coming figure in contemporary literature with Suder and God's Country. With 'Big Picture', he shows us his niche with the short story; exclaiming that I'M HERE AND MY BEST IS YET TO COME!
This group of stories shares several themes including:
A man in touch with his surroundings. A man questioning not only himself, but the colors that make up the universe; not only in abstracts, but also in himself, his color, his heritage, his pride...
"You can't help what you are."
A man hurt, wracked with the mental anguish of being cheated on...
"His brain spoke to her, telling her to feel his pain, the hurt of the betrayal, telling her to open his shirt and see the gaping wound."
A teenager being told that he's not his father's son if he doesn't shoot an animal that could ruin the welfare of their family, (the father refuses to listen to the son and he ends up shooting innocence, but what is innocent?) losing the respect of his father, a respect he never knew he had in the first place...
"You made me kill that beautiful animal because you're too stupid to listen to anybody. Hiram saw the rage in his father's eyes and ducked his swinging fist, heard his mother's scream. Hiram grabbed the man and felt how weak he was. He now understood that his father had been profoundly affected by the death of the animal, and felt his father's chest heaving with sobs. Hiram fell to the floor holding his father, both crying, neither letting go."
With these themes, Everett shows us that not only does man yearn for paternal respect, but he can easily break down, brick by brick from the inside; that external influence tearing you apart, that fault line within that rubs the wrong way and fractures, exploding, gushing full of emotion, in hues of blue; reticence no longer, semblance defeated.
This group of stories shares several themes including:
A man in touch with his surroundings. A man questioning not only himself, but the colors that make up the universe; not only in abstracts, but also in himself, his color, his heritage, his pride...
"You can't help what you are."
A man hurt, wracked with the mental anguish of being cheated on...
"His brain spoke to her, telling her to feel his pain, the hurt of the betrayal, telling her to open his shirt and see the gaping wound."
A teenager being told that he's not his father's son if he doesn't shoot an animal that could ruin the welfare of their family, (the father refuses to listen to the son and he ends up shooting innocence, but what is innocent?) losing the respect of his father, a respect he never knew he had in the first place...
"You made me kill that beautiful animal because you're too stupid to listen to anybody. Hiram saw the rage in his father's eyes and ducked his swinging fist, heard his mother's scream. Hiram grabbed the man and felt how weak he was. He now understood that his father had been profoundly affected by the death of the animal, and felt his father's chest heaving with sobs. Hiram fell to the floor holding his father, both crying, neither letting go."
With these themes, Everett shows us that not only does man yearn for paternal respect, but he can easily break down, brick by brick from the inside; that external influence tearing you apart, that fault line within that rubs the wrong way and fractures, exploding, gushing full of emotion, in hues of blue; reticence no longer, semblance defeated.
September 22, 2014
A really fantastic collection of short stories, my favorites being "Cerulean" and "Wolf at the Door."
Everett's writing style here is spare, sparse - haunting and haunted. More often than not, the drama is in the quiet lack of drama.
I am definitely excited to seek out more from this author.
Everett's writing style here is spare, sparse - haunting and haunted. More often than not, the drama is in the quiet lack of drama.
I am definitely excited to seek out more from this author.
August 14, 2024
I just don’t like short story collections. The failing is mine. This is a collection whose protagonists are either painters or cowboys and, once, both.
It’s not the writer, just the form (a paraphrase of Sloan’s irreproachable lyric, “It’s not the band I hate/it’s the fans.”)
It’s not the writer, just the form (a paraphrase of Sloan’s irreproachable lyric, “It’s not the band I hate/it’s the fans.”)
January 14, 2022
Impressive short story collection (1996) by Everett. Grab any Everett you can find and read him.
June 29, 2024
what I find extremely interesting in these stories is the appearance of the Huge Blue Painting motif that twenty years later becomes the lodestone in So Much Blue. it tickled me to see the author developing these ideas in real time. and it is also very relatable to have a literary image you are obsessed with and want to get right
December 16, 2024
These nine stories all made me think. And feel. The lone Black cowboy returns to the land of desert, mountains, and canyons. Even as a boy, he has a feel for animals and deep disgust for humans’ senseless killing, for “trophies.” The artist of “Cerulean” and “Big Picture” searches for understanding … of the world, of himself and his headaches. Fathers and sons struggle with love and respect.
August 16, 2025
Not exactly sure how to look back on my time reading this book. A waste of my time I think. The first quarter of the book was very good as I thought these characters would be developed a bit later. But, this book is story after story of scenes that don’t go anywhere. No excitement at all in every single story. If that’s your style have at it. I am trying something else.
February 17, 2025
3.5⭐️ - you can’t go wrong picking up a Percival Everett book. I am learning quickly. This consisted of some short stories of his older work and I immediatly found so many hidden and not-so-hidden connections of his more current work (like “so much blue”) and it made me smile.
November 8, 2022
Stories – some inter-related – from selves and situations that are aslant, off-kilter. These are not quick hits, but slow burns. I very much enjoyed them.
December 28, 2022
Cowboys and artists. The funniest scene ever written about having to pee in a strange house in the middle of the night.
January 14, 2009
decent collection of short stories
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews