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The Vanishing Point: Stories – A Brilliant New Collection of Literary Fiction
From the bestselling novelist, travel writer, and “master of the short story” (NPR) comes a brilliant new collection.
The stories in Paul Theroux’s fascinating new collection are both exotic and domestic, their settings ranging from Hawaii to Africa and New England. Each focuses on life’s vanishing points—a moment when seemingly all lines running through one’s life converge, and one can see no farther, yet must deal with the implications. With the insight, subtlety, and empathy that has long characterized his work, Theroux has written deeply moving stories about memory, longing, and the passing of time, reclaiming his status, once again, as a master of the form.
The stories in Paul Theroux’s fascinating new collection are both exotic and domestic, their settings ranging from Hawaii to Africa and New England. Each focuses on life’s vanishing points—a moment when seemingly all lines running through one’s life converge, and one can see no farther, yet must deal with the implications. With the insight, subtlety, and empathy that has long characterized his work, Theroux has written deeply moving stories about memory, longing, and the passing of time, reclaiming his status, once again, as a master of the form.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 28, 2025
100 people are currently reading
884 people want to read
About the author
Paul Theroux
237 books2,602 followersPaul Edward Theroux is an American travel writer and novelist, whose best known work is The Great Railway Bazaar (1975), a travelogue about a trip he made by train from Great Britain through Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, through South Asia, then South-East Asia, up through East Asia, as far east as Japan, and then back across Russia to his point of origin. Although perhaps best known as a travelogue writer, Theroux has also published numerous works of fiction, some of which were made into feature films. He was awarded the 1981 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel The Mosquito Coast.
He is the father of Marcel and Louis Theroux, and the brother of Alexander and Peter. Justin Theroux is his nephew.
He is the father of Marcel and Louis Theroux, and the brother of Alexander and Peter. Justin Theroux is his nephew.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
January 1, 2025
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Literary Fiction + Short Stories
The Vanishing Point is a collection of stories exploring aging, memory, and identity through reflective narratives. Several stories have blurring lines between real life and imagination, highlighted in the personal experiences of these characters. The tales capture moments that feel simultaneously real and dreamlike. Some even show us how personal perception can alter the understanding of one’s reality, especially as a person ages.
The stories contain rich descriptions of diverse cultures, reflecting the societal experience of the characters. Each story presents unique cultural backdrops that significantly influence the characters’ behavior.
The characters reflect deeply on their lives and the lessons learned over time, where aging brings awareness of missed opportunities and life’s fleeting nature. These characters navigate personal desires and confront their attainable dreams and wishes, along with often experiencing profound loneliness and isolation.
The author’s writing style is engaging and thought-provoking, ensuring that readers are not only entertained but also left with deeper insights into the complexities of life. He excels at developing complex characters that have lots of depth. These characters are very relatable and authentic.
Stories in The Vanishing Point are multi-layered, exploring relationships, societal norms, and personal dilemmas. Most of the characters in them are elderly people with lots of life experience. I enjoyed some of the stories more than the rest, but they are all fantastic. The author’s beautiful writing made them all fascinating. It is the first time that I read a book by Paul Theroux, and I’m very excited now to explore his other work.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.
Genre: Literary Fiction + Short Stories
The Vanishing Point is a collection of stories exploring aging, memory, and identity through reflective narratives. Several stories have blurring lines between real life and imagination, highlighted in the personal experiences of these characters. The tales capture moments that feel simultaneously real and dreamlike. Some even show us how personal perception can alter the understanding of one’s reality, especially as a person ages.
The stories contain rich descriptions of diverse cultures, reflecting the societal experience of the characters. Each story presents unique cultural backdrops that significantly influence the characters’ behavior.
The characters reflect deeply on their lives and the lessons learned over time, where aging brings awareness of missed opportunities and life’s fleeting nature. These characters navigate personal desires and confront their attainable dreams and wishes, along with often experiencing profound loneliness and isolation.
The author’s writing style is engaging and thought-provoking, ensuring that readers are not only entertained but also left with deeper insights into the complexities of life. He excels at developing complex characters that have lots of depth. These characters are very relatable and authentic.
Stories in The Vanishing Point are multi-layered, exploring relationships, societal norms, and personal dilemmas. Most of the characters in them are elderly people with lots of life experience. I enjoyed some of the stories more than the rest, but they are all fantastic. The author’s beautiful writing made them all fascinating. It is the first time that I read a book by Paul Theroux, and I’m very excited now to explore his other work.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.
February 16, 2025
Unfortunately, each of these short stories is slow, uneventful and about a really boring man. Maybe I am just not the intended audience for this collection. 2.5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
March 21, 2025
I’ve long enjoyed Theroux’s travel writing – wild, exotic, insightful, and often hilarious – but I’ve often struggled with his fiction, which I’ve tended to find wacky and sometimes almost impenetrable. Here, he’s gathered together a good number of short pieces, some of which are new and others which have previously been published in magazines. They’re set in a variety of setting, each being somewhere the author has spent a chunk of his life: New England, South East Asia, Africa and Hawaii. In life, the author admits to being a risk taker, and quite a few these stories are a little off-centre. Sometimes it works, but other times not so much. But that's true of any short story collection I've read, and there are certainly some gems here that shouldn't be missed.
A Charmed Life, is perhaps my favourite story. A ageing man, a teacher, who’d enjoyed travel and adventure and had a couple of failed marriages behind him, discovers that some of his rather morbid wishes - accidents and misfortunes to others – begin to come true. It’s a story with a sting in the tail, and I discovered from an online interview with Theroux that it's partly based on a couple of his real-life experiences. The style and feel of this one put me in mind of Paul Auster, another of my favourite scribblers. It’s one of two longer pieces, along with Camp Echo, the only one here that I’d previously read.
Some of the stories are, in essence, a lamentation on a man’s relationships or sexual experiences with women. For instance, in The Fall a man re-evaluates his life and his relationship with his wife as he recovers from an accident at home and in Love Doll an unhappy teacher is attracted to, and then becomes obsessed with, a student who turns out to be a sex worker. A number of them feature a character named Andre Parent and are clearly closely linked to events in the author’s life, or at least his personal feelings and thoughts. They’re interesting and poignant, but also (for me) sometimes make somewhat uncomfortable reading.
The themes are many, but the mood is largely downbeat: there is a good deal disgruntlement (an older man’s lot), thoughts, death, and experiences of solitude. There are a few that buck this trend, but it was with a sense of achievement and some relief that I finally finished working through this collection. Theroux is definitely a writer I’ll return to – there are many of his vast collection of books I’ve yet to read – but I’d say you need to be in a positive frame of mind when you start on this collection. You probably won’t be by the end, particularly if – like me – you’re a man of a certain age.
A Charmed Life, is perhaps my favourite story. A ageing man, a teacher, who’d enjoyed travel and adventure and had a couple of failed marriages behind him, discovers that some of his rather morbid wishes - accidents and misfortunes to others – begin to come true. It’s a story with a sting in the tail, and I discovered from an online interview with Theroux that it's partly based on a couple of his real-life experiences. The style and feel of this one put me in mind of Paul Auster, another of my favourite scribblers. It’s one of two longer pieces, along with Camp Echo, the only one here that I’d previously read.
Some of the stories are, in essence, a lamentation on a man’s relationships or sexual experiences with women. For instance, in The Fall a man re-evaluates his life and his relationship with his wife as he recovers from an accident at home and in Love Doll an unhappy teacher is attracted to, and then becomes obsessed with, a student who turns out to be a sex worker. A number of them feature a character named Andre Parent and are clearly closely linked to events in the author’s life, or at least his personal feelings and thoughts. They’re interesting and poignant, but also (for me) sometimes make somewhat uncomfortable reading.
The themes are many, but the mood is largely downbeat: there is a good deal disgruntlement (an older man’s lot), thoughts, death, and experiences of solitude. There are a few that buck this trend, but it was with a sense of achievement and some relief that I finally finished working through this collection. Theroux is definitely a writer I’ll return to – there are many of his vast collection of books I’ve yet to read – but I’d say you need to be in a positive frame of mind when you start on this collection. You probably won’t be by the end, particularly if – like me – you’re a man of a certain age.
December 30, 2024
I received this as an advanced reader copy for NetGalley. I was very disappointed in the short stories. They all seemed to be about men making very poor decisions regarding finances, lust, and love. The theme of a vanishing point is very clear throughout the book.
November 1, 2024
Until recently, I never noticed NetGalley had a "Novellas & Short Stories" category. I really like reading short stories, but often don't like the contemporary ones I read. Many I find totally unreadable. All the ones in this collection by Paul Theroux were readable, although I did stop reading two long before the end. I didn't find any of the stories particularly memorable, however, except for the one about the wild pigs. Onward to more short stories . . . .
(Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher or author.)
(Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher or author.)
March 16, 2025
I’ve been reading Theroux’s fiction and nonfiction for over thirty years, and his stories never fail to engage. This collection, set in Hawaii, New England and Africa, is reflective and often humorous, with the author looking back on his adventurous carefree years. A couple of the later stories also reference his very good 2024 novel Burma Sahib and his trip to Oaxaca, which he covers in On the Plain of Snakes (2019). Somewhere in The Vanishing Point stories Theroux makes clear that writing isn’t really a career for him—it’s simply what he does. So, good to know we can expect more from this prolific author (approaching 84) in the years to come.
October 6, 2025
2.5 Hard to rate - good writing but why can’t he write an actual female character
May 31, 2025
The Vanishing Point by Paul Theroux stands as a remarkable achievement from one of our most accomplished storytellers, delivering eighteen stories that probe the various ways lives reach their turning points, whether through death, disillusionment, or unexpected transformation. This collection demonstrates Theroux's continued mastery of the short story form while revealing new depths of psychological insight and formal innovation that mark this as among his finest work.
The unifying concept of the "vanishing point" provides a brilliant organizing principle that allows Theroux to explore different kinds of endings without falling into predictable patterns. Whether characters face literal mortality or metaphorical dissolution, Theroux finds fresh ways to examine how people confront the inevitable changes that define human experience. His character's observation that "I know exactly what is coming for me. This is not clairvoyance. It is the bleak certainty of a private promise" captures the collection's central preoccupation with foreknowledge and inevitability.
Theroux's global scope enhances rather than dilutes the collection's impact. By jumping "from continent to continent," he demonstrates how universal themes of aging, loss, and transformation manifest differently across cultures while maintaining their essential human core. This geographic breadth reflects Theroux's decades of travel writing experience, lending authenticity to diverse settings while never overwhelming the intimate character studies at each story's heart.
The collection's greatest strength lies in Theroux's ability to find the extraordinary within seemingly ordinary circumstances. A man discovering his anger can be "mysteriously weaponized" becomes a study in the unexpected power dynamics of aging. Another character's "twisted way to resist his wife's plan to move to assisted living" transforms a common domestic conflict into something darker and more complex. These scenarios feel both familiar and surprising, revealing Theroux's gift for finding new angles on universal experiences.
Perhaps most impressively, Theroux demonstrates remarkable range in his examination of moral complexity. His story of a Massachusetts boy weighing "the pleasure of transgression against the state of his immortal soul" captures the eternal tension between desire and conscience with particular precision. Throughout the collection, Theroux avoids easy moral judgments, instead presenting characters whose choices emerge from deeply human motivations that resist simple categorization.
Theroux's prose maintains the clarity and precision that has distinguished his work for decades while revealing new layers of psychological sophistication. His ability to look at life "at an angle, shining unfamiliar light on both its sweet and its bitter offerings" reflects a mature artist's understanding of how perspective shapes meaning. The stories feel both immediate and carefully considered, carrying the weight of lived experience without becoming heavy-handed.
The Vanishing Point succeeds as both individual stories and cohesive collection. Each narrative stands alone while contributing to a larger meditation on how we navigate the various endings that punctuate human experience. Theroux has created a work that speaks directly to readers grappling with their own mortality while offering the aesthetic pleasure that comes from masterful storytelling.
This collection confirms Theroux's position as one of our most essential short story writers, someone capable of finding profound meaning in the moments when lives reach their crucial turning points. The Vanishing Point offers readers both the satisfaction of expertly crafted fiction and the deeper rewards that come from serious engagement with life's most fundamental questions.
The unifying concept of the "vanishing point" provides a brilliant organizing principle that allows Theroux to explore different kinds of endings without falling into predictable patterns. Whether characters face literal mortality or metaphorical dissolution, Theroux finds fresh ways to examine how people confront the inevitable changes that define human experience. His character's observation that "I know exactly what is coming for me. This is not clairvoyance. It is the bleak certainty of a private promise" captures the collection's central preoccupation with foreknowledge and inevitability.
Theroux's global scope enhances rather than dilutes the collection's impact. By jumping "from continent to continent," he demonstrates how universal themes of aging, loss, and transformation manifest differently across cultures while maintaining their essential human core. This geographic breadth reflects Theroux's decades of travel writing experience, lending authenticity to diverse settings while never overwhelming the intimate character studies at each story's heart.
The collection's greatest strength lies in Theroux's ability to find the extraordinary within seemingly ordinary circumstances. A man discovering his anger can be "mysteriously weaponized" becomes a study in the unexpected power dynamics of aging. Another character's "twisted way to resist his wife's plan to move to assisted living" transforms a common domestic conflict into something darker and more complex. These scenarios feel both familiar and surprising, revealing Theroux's gift for finding new angles on universal experiences.
Perhaps most impressively, Theroux demonstrates remarkable range in his examination of moral complexity. His story of a Massachusetts boy weighing "the pleasure of transgression against the state of his immortal soul" captures the eternal tension between desire and conscience with particular precision. Throughout the collection, Theroux avoids easy moral judgments, instead presenting characters whose choices emerge from deeply human motivations that resist simple categorization.
Theroux's prose maintains the clarity and precision that has distinguished his work for decades while revealing new layers of psychological sophistication. His ability to look at life "at an angle, shining unfamiliar light on both its sweet and its bitter offerings" reflects a mature artist's understanding of how perspective shapes meaning. The stories feel both immediate and carefully considered, carrying the weight of lived experience without becoming heavy-handed.
The Vanishing Point succeeds as both individual stories and cohesive collection. Each narrative stands alone while contributing to a larger meditation on how we navigate the various endings that punctuate human experience. Theroux has created a work that speaks directly to readers grappling with their own mortality while offering the aesthetic pleasure that comes from masterful storytelling.
This collection confirms Theroux's position as one of our most essential short story writers, someone capable of finding profound meaning in the moments when lives reach their crucial turning points. The Vanishing Point offers readers both the satisfaction of expertly crafted fiction and the deeper rewards that come from serious engagement with life's most fundamental questions.
February 13, 2025
Paul Theroux either hates women or has such a one-dimensional view of them that I stopped reading. I’ve always liked his writing, but found most of his works, however interesting and well-written about travel, to be about chasing women, which I found limited, immature and distasteful.
Now that he’s older, his ignorant, unpleasant portrayal of the women characters in this book seems to show that, having lost his sex drive, he actually hates them, rather than “merely” seeing them as sex objects, which was bad enough.
In a world that continues to be misogynistic, and especially in light of the hatred of and attacks on anything female or feminine in the US by the current administration, come on, puhlease! As my mother would say, Who needs it!
One star, as I liked the moral of the first story, that no material possessions can match the view of nature from a window.
Now that he’s older, his ignorant, unpleasant portrayal of the women characters in this book seems to show that, having lost his sex drive, he actually hates them, rather than “merely” seeing them as sex objects, which was bad enough.
In a world that continues to be misogynistic, and especially in light of the hatred of and attacks on anything female or feminine in the US by the current administration, come on, puhlease! As my mother would say, Who needs it!
One star, as I liked the moral of the first story, that no material possessions can match the view of nature from a window.
February 3, 2025
Not for me
February 23, 2025
I first encountered Paul Theroux in the early 1970s when I read some of his stories in popular magazines. I was impressed by the quality of his writing and developed a mental image of him as a middle-aged man. Surely, it would have taken him years to travel the world and gain the experience and maturity to pen these tales. My opinion was occasionally reinforced when I encountered novels like “The Mosquito Coast” or some of his travel writing. So, I was surprised when I had the opportunity to read “The Vanishing Point,” his latest short story collection through NetGalley. I first thought this had to be a posthumous collection because the Paul Theroux I envisioned would have been a centenarian by now. Instead, Theroux is very much alive and, at 83, hasn’t missed a step in terms of writing quality. “The Vanishing Point” reflects the same experiences and worldview I first encountered a half-century earlier, tempered by the growing awareness of advancing age.
“The Vanishing Point” comprises 18 stories, all appearing to have been written recently. Some were published previously online or in other collections, others appeared online, and others were new here. The author sets some of them in the exotic locales he’s visited in his lifetime in Asia, Africa, and semi-exotic Hawaii. Only one story is told from a female point of view, and that’s one of the weakest in the collection. The other protagonists are men, usually of advancing years, reflecting on the decisions they’ve made (that often haven’t turned out well). Some stories resemble Shakespearean tragedies, and none of them are what I would consider light reading. The storylines are sometimes familiar, but the author puts a unique spin on them.
The best story in the collection is one of the longest, “A Charmed Life.” Felix, the narrator, discovered at a young age that people he encountered who did ugly or evil things soon met terrible fates. You can probably guess that a power like his could come back to haunt him, but it takes decades for him to learn exactly how. During that time, he mostly led a quiet life as a teacher in third-world countries, mainly keeping to himself until he returned to Hawaii to retire. I can easily picture Stephen King writing a story based on this same plotline, but Theroux turns Felix’s eventual fate into a byproduct of Eastern mysticism and spirituality.
The protagonist of “Love Doll” is younger, but burdened by a life of poor decisions. Blanton is a teacher in Honolulu trapped in an unhappy marriage with a wife and baby. To make ends meet, Blanton teaches English as a second language to a night class of international students. He’s infatuated with one attractive Vietnamese student and follows her to learn more about what she does after class. This story also has elements of classic tragedy.
Not all the stories in “The Vanishing Point” are gloomy. “Navigational Hazard” is a tale of righteous revenge as the captain of a luxury yacht based in Singapore works for years based on a handshake agreement with the boat’s owner that the yacht would one day be his. Everyone knows what a handshake agreement is worth, as the captain learns to his dismay. Turnabout is fair play, however, as readers eventually understand the meaning of the story’s title. “Father X” is one of the few genuinely uplifting stories in the collection. When his father dies, a middle-aged man learns that the father’s birth certificate is fake, and there is no record of his birth anywhere. Dad had an unusual occupation, ghost-writing Catholic sermons for priests whose Biblical, literary, and oratorical skills weren’t the world’s best. He also published columns in local newspapers under the byline of Father X. The son realizes he had no idea who his father was. His quest leads to an unusual discovery.
Some stories deal with the perils of academic life. “Home Cooking” is about a failed author who has a knack as a chef. He started a catering business in the college town where he lives, which soon became quite popular. He wants to keep the menus and recipes simple. Still, his customers make increasing demands on his time and eventually turn his business into something entirely different (and far less satisfying) from what he originally envisioned. “Ghost Fest” also has some supernatural elements and occurs at the same fictional Willard College where “Home Cooking” was set. The narrator, Andy Parent, is an aging writer who attends the annual Ghost Fest at the college. (Parent also narrates five other stories in the collection.) The event is a gathering of students and others who related “real” paranormal encounters. Before attending Ghost Fest, however, Parent attended a scarier, real-life meeting with a former colleague now confined to a nursing home for those with dementia. The author merges the real-life grimness of aging with a different type of encounter.
About two-thirds of the stories in “The Vanishing Point” are excellent. None are poorly written, but a few seem pointless. I was especially disappointed in “Camp Echo,” the first story narrated by Andy Parent. It takes place in the 1950s, where a pre-teen Andy attends a summer camp where he is assigned a cabin with the other boys whose names begin with P. There, he learns about racial, religious, and anti-gay prejudice as well as generalized bullying. These lessons may have been new to a sheltered 1950s Boy Scout, but not to modern-day readers, and I felt the story lacked the immediacy that the best coming-of-age stories have. Still, I can picture this as the basis for a movie if someone punches up the script a bit.
Again, let me repeat. There are no bad stories in “The Vanishing Point.” Some don’t quite meet the standards of the best in the collection. Those are worth a second or third reading to pick up on the nuances. Reading “The Vanishing Point” made me extremely happy that Paul Theroux hasn’t yet vanished from the literary scene.
NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.
“The Vanishing Point” comprises 18 stories, all appearing to have been written recently. Some were published previously online or in other collections, others appeared online, and others were new here. The author sets some of them in the exotic locales he’s visited in his lifetime in Asia, Africa, and semi-exotic Hawaii. Only one story is told from a female point of view, and that’s one of the weakest in the collection. The other protagonists are men, usually of advancing years, reflecting on the decisions they’ve made (that often haven’t turned out well). Some stories resemble Shakespearean tragedies, and none of them are what I would consider light reading. The storylines are sometimes familiar, but the author puts a unique spin on them.
The best story in the collection is one of the longest, “A Charmed Life.” Felix, the narrator, discovered at a young age that people he encountered who did ugly or evil things soon met terrible fates. You can probably guess that a power like his could come back to haunt him, but it takes decades for him to learn exactly how. During that time, he mostly led a quiet life as a teacher in third-world countries, mainly keeping to himself until he returned to Hawaii to retire. I can easily picture Stephen King writing a story based on this same plotline, but Theroux turns Felix’s eventual fate into a byproduct of Eastern mysticism and spirituality.
The protagonist of “Love Doll” is younger, but burdened by a life of poor decisions. Blanton is a teacher in Honolulu trapped in an unhappy marriage with a wife and baby. To make ends meet, Blanton teaches English as a second language to a night class of international students. He’s infatuated with one attractive Vietnamese student and follows her to learn more about what she does after class. This story also has elements of classic tragedy.
Not all the stories in “The Vanishing Point” are gloomy. “Navigational Hazard” is a tale of righteous revenge as the captain of a luxury yacht based in Singapore works for years based on a handshake agreement with the boat’s owner that the yacht would one day be his. Everyone knows what a handshake agreement is worth, as the captain learns to his dismay. Turnabout is fair play, however, as readers eventually understand the meaning of the story’s title. “Father X” is one of the few genuinely uplifting stories in the collection. When his father dies, a middle-aged man learns that the father’s birth certificate is fake, and there is no record of his birth anywhere. Dad had an unusual occupation, ghost-writing Catholic sermons for priests whose Biblical, literary, and oratorical skills weren’t the world’s best. He also published columns in local newspapers under the byline of Father X. The son realizes he had no idea who his father was. His quest leads to an unusual discovery.
Some stories deal with the perils of academic life. “Home Cooking” is about a failed author who has a knack as a chef. He started a catering business in the college town where he lives, which soon became quite popular. He wants to keep the menus and recipes simple. Still, his customers make increasing demands on his time and eventually turn his business into something entirely different (and far less satisfying) from what he originally envisioned. “Ghost Fest” also has some supernatural elements and occurs at the same fictional Willard College where “Home Cooking” was set. The narrator, Andy Parent, is an aging writer who attends the annual Ghost Fest at the college. (Parent also narrates five other stories in the collection.) The event is a gathering of students and others who related “real” paranormal encounters. Before attending Ghost Fest, however, Parent attended a scarier, real-life meeting with a former colleague now confined to a nursing home for those with dementia. The author merges the real-life grimness of aging with a different type of encounter.
About two-thirds of the stories in “The Vanishing Point” are excellent. None are poorly written, but a few seem pointless. I was especially disappointed in “Camp Echo,” the first story narrated by Andy Parent. It takes place in the 1950s, where a pre-teen Andy attends a summer camp where he is assigned a cabin with the other boys whose names begin with P. There, he learns about racial, religious, and anti-gay prejudice as well as generalized bullying. These lessons may have been new to a sheltered 1950s Boy Scout, but not to modern-day readers, and I felt the story lacked the immediacy that the best coming-of-age stories have. Still, I can picture this as the basis for a movie if someone punches up the script a bit.
Again, let me repeat. There are no bad stories in “The Vanishing Point.” Some don’t quite meet the standards of the best in the collection. Those are worth a second or third reading to pick up on the nuances. Reading “The Vanishing Point” made me extremely happy that Paul Theroux hasn’t yet vanished from the literary scene.
NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.
May 15, 2025
We've all made decisions - choices - that have affected our lives; it's inevitable, choose this and your life will go this way, choose that and your life will go another way. This is a collection of eighteen short stories, set in Hawaii, Africa, and New England, about men - writers, teachers, and laborers, who have made choices and then watched as their lives went spiraling out to that vanishing point in the future beyond which we can see nothing. Author Paul Theroux has seemingly traveled the world, and his powers of observation make this collection sing with originality.
November 17, 2024
I don’t know what I was expecting but this really caught me off guard in the best way. Theroux’s writing is so sharp and poignant, and the pacing of the short stories are great.
I got through most of the short stories pretty easily. It’s not my typical kind of reading, but i’m glad I was to receive an ARC from NetGalley!
I got through most of the short stories pretty easily. It’s not my typical kind of reading, but i’m glad I was to receive an ARC from NetGalley!
November 3, 2024
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.
Paul Theroux’s The Vanishing Point is a masterful collection of short stories that explores the fleeting moments and pivotal junctures in life where everything changes.
Each story delves into the concept of vanishing points—those critical moments when life’s paths converge, and the future becomes uncertain. Theroux’s characters are often at crossroads, facing decisions that will irrevocably alter their lives.
In one of the standout stories, “The Last Train to Paradise,” follows a retired engineer who embarks on a nostalgic journey through the Hawaiian islands, only to confront the ghosts of his past. Theroux’s vivid descriptions and emotional depth make this story particularly poignant, capturing the essence of memory and regret.
In “The African Queen,” a young woman travels to Africa in search of adventure but finds herself entangled in a web of political intrigue and personal betrayal. Theroux’s ability to weave complex narratives with rich cultural backdrops is on full display here, making for a gripping read.
“The New Englander” offers a stark contrast, set in the quiet, contemplative environment of rural New England. This story examines the life of a widower who must come to terms with his solitude and the passage of time. Theroux’s subtlety and empathy shine through, providing a deeply moving exploration of loss and acceptance.
Theroux’s writing is characterized by its precision and insight. He captures the nuances of human behavior and the intricacies of relationships with a deft hand. Each story in The Vanishing Point is a testament to his ability to create compelling, multi-dimensional characters and immersive settings.
The Vanishing Point is a brilliant addition to Paul Theroux’s illustrious body of work. It is a collection that invites readers to reflect on the transient nature of life and the moments that define us.
Whether you are a long-time fan of Theroux or new to his writing, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Paul Theroux’s The Vanishing Point is a masterful collection of short stories that explores the fleeting moments and pivotal junctures in life where everything changes.
Each story delves into the concept of vanishing points—those critical moments when life’s paths converge, and the future becomes uncertain. Theroux’s characters are often at crossroads, facing decisions that will irrevocably alter their lives.
In one of the standout stories, “The Last Train to Paradise,” follows a retired engineer who embarks on a nostalgic journey through the Hawaiian islands, only to confront the ghosts of his past. Theroux’s vivid descriptions and emotional depth make this story particularly poignant, capturing the essence of memory and regret.
In “The African Queen,” a young woman travels to Africa in search of adventure but finds herself entangled in a web of political intrigue and personal betrayal. Theroux’s ability to weave complex narratives with rich cultural backdrops is on full display here, making for a gripping read.
“The New Englander” offers a stark contrast, set in the quiet, contemplative environment of rural New England. This story examines the life of a widower who must come to terms with his solitude and the passage of time. Theroux’s subtlety and empathy shine through, providing a deeply moving exploration of loss and acceptance.
Theroux’s writing is characterized by its precision and insight. He captures the nuances of human behavior and the intricacies of relationships with a deft hand. Each story in The Vanishing Point is a testament to his ability to create compelling, multi-dimensional characters and immersive settings.
The Vanishing Point is a brilliant addition to Paul Theroux’s illustrious body of work. It is a collection that invites readers to reflect on the transient nature of life and the moments that define us.
Whether you are a long-time fan of Theroux or new to his writing, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.
January 30, 2025
I was excited to discover this new collection. Paul Theroux was an early influence for traveling. He's a fine writer with a lean, yet at times cutting style. The stories center on convergences and dwindling possibilities, as shown in art by the vanishing point that gives perspective.
Although the darkness here rarely erupts in outright horror, the undertow of mortality and loneliness is as real as a riptide.
Paul Theroux is a master of quiet tension. I felt the weight at the edges of certain stories leaning inward and experienced relief from the inevitable breaking. Other tales center on irrevocable decisions.
Unsettled feelings with women and brief, unpleasant thoughts, terms, and images emerging in culture clashes form tension lines that caused me to examine my experiences.
He has an uncanny ability to be smooth and raw within the same story. There were grisly and disturbing moments. "Adobo" will likely stick with me the longest.
This won't be a comfortable read for everyone, but I don't think it's meant to be.
Aging, loneliness, loss, mortality, failed relationships, life as an outsider, pain, powerlessness, endings–none of it becomes oppressive in this carefully observed and haunting collection.
For me, the unhappy, limited-range heterosexuality was a bit off-putting, particularly because the women are marginal. Fortunately, not all of the stories fall into this.
It took awhile to find my footing within the unusual titular story, yet as it progressed, it pulled me in and I’m still thinking about it. This is literary writing in the best sense of the term.
Recommended for readers comfortable with male-centric literary stories.
Thank you, Mariner Books for the eARC for consideration. These are solely my own opinions.
Although the darkness here rarely erupts in outright horror, the undertow of mortality and loneliness is as real as a riptide.
Paul Theroux is a master of quiet tension. I felt the weight at the edges of certain stories leaning inward and experienced relief from the inevitable breaking. Other tales center on irrevocable decisions.
Unsettled feelings with women and brief, unpleasant thoughts, terms, and images emerging in culture clashes form tension lines that caused me to examine my experiences.
He has an uncanny ability to be smooth and raw within the same story. There were grisly and disturbing moments. "Adobo" will likely stick with me the longest.
This won't be a comfortable read for everyone, but I don't think it's meant to be.
Aging, loneliness, loss, mortality, failed relationships, life as an outsider, pain, powerlessness, endings–none of it becomes oppressive in this carefully observed and haunting collection.
For me, the unhappy, limited-range heterosexuality was a bit off-putting, particularly because the women are marginal. Fortunately, not all of the stories fall into this.
It took awhile to find my footing within the unusual titular story, yet as it progressed, it pulled me in and I’m still thinking about it. This is literary writing in the best sense of the term.
Recommended for readers comfortable with male-centric literary stories.
Thank you, Mariner Books for the eARC for consideration. These are solely my own opinions.
August 8, 2025
I do not believe I've ever read any of Theroux's books. And probably won't rush out to read another. Of these short stories, I liked a few. The first one, "The Vanishing Point", was a bit long but ended with a satisfying bit of Karma. I found "Camp Echo" mostly a slog - a story about mostly miserable boys in an objectionable summer camp was not my thing. I got stuck after this story, which is why it took me so long to finish the book.
Throughout there's a kind of distaste for women in general, which just became more of a drag the further I got into the stories. The only woman that is written with any real sympathy is a character who starts out as a man, Ollie, in one story, who is then reintroduced as a transgender woman, Olivia, in another story.
Other than "Camp Echo", I did get more out of the stories in the last section, Aide-Memoires, where the author is writing about older characters, and how it feels to get older, feel more unseen, etc. This was also the part where I had to get out my dictionary to look up some words, which is always fun. This is also the part, in "First Love", where Theroux writes nice things about girls. Apparently females can be quite lovely and sweet and inspiring before puberty. Afterward, they seem to be a bit suspect.
Throughout there's a kind of distaste for women in general, which just became more of a drag the further I got into the stories. The only woman that is written with any real sympathy is a character who starts out as a man, Ollie, in one story, who is then reintroduced as a transgender woman, Olivia, in another story.
Other than "Camp Echo", I did get more out of the stories in the last section, Aide-Memoires, where the author is writing about older characters, and how it feels to get older, feel more unseen, etc. This was also the part where I had to get out my dictionary to look up some words, which is always fun. This is also the part, in "First Love", where Theroux writes nice things about girls. Apparently females can be quite lovely and sweet and inspiring before puberty. Afterward, they seem to be a bit suspect.
August 30, 2025
I remembered reading some Paul Theroux novels many years ago. I was surprised to find them still on my bookshelves; The Consul’s File, The Family Arsenal and The Mosquito Coast. In one I had written the date, November 1985. I have little recollection of the plots but retained a vague sense that they had been well written, unsettling and perhaps not enjoyable. So after a 40 year separation I have been reunited with Paul Theroux by way of The Vanishing Point, his recently published collection of short stories. And yes they are all beautifully crafted, in places unsettling but were also most enjoyable! This is an eclectic collection of 18 tales set in locations as diverse as Hawaii, Malaysia, Central Africa and Boston. It can take a little time to orientate yourself to where you are and what’s going on, but that is part of the enjoyment of the short story. The last 5 stories I am guessing are semi auto biographical as they all involve a man with a French sounding name, initially as a young boy at a scout camp in 1950s America, and later as an ageing writer. These are poignant and wise stories about trying to be a grandfather, handling a Gen Z research assistant and contemplating non existence, from a perspective and voice we seldom hear.
February 7, 2025
I had high hopes for this collection, as I like Paul Theroux's prose, and have enjoyed his work in the past. However, this book was just not for me. As a whole, the stories were well-written and took me to places all over the globe, but I found the vast majority of them to be major downers.
The main characters were predominantly middle-aged or aging men who are displeased with their lives, and even the stories with female main characters still seemed to center around unhappy men. Writing this as a woman in 2025, I think this book will not appeal to a lot of women, but may find its audience among men who are growing older and reflecting on their pasts.
Regarding the narration, since I listened to the audiobook version of this collection, I wish the producers had split the narration among more narrators. As it was, I couldn't help but picture the same character from one story to the next.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the opportunity to listen to this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The main characters were predominantly middle-aged or aging men who are displeased with their lives, and even the stories with female main characters still seemed to center around unhappy men. Writing this as a woman in 2025, I think this book will not appeal to a lot of women, but may find its audience among men who are growing older and reflecting on their pasts.
Regarding the narration, since I listened to the audiobook version of this collection, I wish the producers had split the narration among more narrators. As it was, I couldn't help but picture the same character from one story to the next.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the opportunity to listen to this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!
January 2, 2025
The Vanishing Point: Stories by Paul Theroux is a highly recommended collection of 18 short stories with settings ranging from New England to Hawaii to Africa. As expected, the writing is excellent in the collection. These insightful stories are about men experiencing aging, reliving memories, longing for fulfillment, and the passing of time.
With any short story collection it is natural for some stories to resonate with various readers more than others. While I found the majority of the stories were compelling and insightful, others were less pertinent for me. It should be noted that the majority of the stories were really written for a male audience and in a few the situations were off-putting for me. This is a good, but uneven collection.
Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/0...
With any short story collection it is natural for some stories to resonate with various readers more than others. While I found the majority of the stories were compelling and insightful, others were less pertinent for me. It should be noted that the majority of the stories were really written for a male audience and in a few the situations were off-putting for me. This is a good, but uneven collection.
Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/0...
February 15, 2025
3 stars.*
Somehow I have never read anything by Paul Theroux. I noticed a number of his books on my sister's bookshelf recently and when I saw this title available on NetGalley I wanted to give it a go.
The Vaninshing Point is a series of short stories, all featuring male protagonists. Most of them are pretty unlikable and they make just shockingly bad decisions. I enjoyed the stories featuring expat life-though riddled with terrible choices.
Theroux's writing is good-it reminds me in many of the stories of Stephen King, and I mean that as a great compliment.
I didn't really love the collection, though. I feel like I need to dig deeper into Theroux's catalog and read some of his books about SE Asia after having lived there for 15 years. While I didn't adore this book myself I feel like I know a lot of people who would enjoy it.
*with thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for this honest review .
Somehow I have never read anything by Paul Theroux. I noticed a number of his books on my sister's bookshelf recently and when I saw this title available on NetGalley I wanted to give it a go.
The Vaninshing Point is a series of short stories, all featuring male protagonists. Most of them are pretty unlikable and they make just shockingly bad decisions. I enjoyed the stories featuring expat life-though riddled with terrible choices.
Theroux's writing is good-it reminds me in many of the stories of Stephen King, and I mean that as a great compliment.
I didn't really love the collection, though. I feel like I need to dig deeper into Theroux's catalog and read some of his books about SE Asia after having lived there for 15 years. While I didn't adore this book myself I feel like I know a lot of people who would enjoy it.
*with thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for this honest review .
May 27, 2025
A Curmudgeon Looks Back, basically. I’m a sucker for Theroux generally, as the sort of former-20something who hoped for a life of travel. This is very much “a buncha stories by an old man who is getting tired of life”, and now that I’m closer to that end of things spiritually speaking I really enjoy the book.
The most of it is honest old men done semi-wrong by society, or doing wrong by society, in a very understated and relatable way. Theroux has his characteristic clear-eyed/misanthropic look through these men (my personal favorite being the failed writer/current cook who doesn’t understand how he’s out of step with society), but also includes some bits of a 1950s’60s childhood to round it out.
There were a lot of fun stories in here, and again - as someone who’s weary but waiting for the wizening to click in, it’s great fun to read. There’s gaps in it, sure, but if you know what you’re getting into it was really enjoyable.
The most of it is honest old men done semi-wrong by society, or doing wrong by society, in a very understated and relatable way. Theroux has his characteristic clear-eyed/misanthropic look through these men (my personal favorite being the failed writer/current cook who doesn’t understand how he’s out of step with society), but also includes some bits of a 1950s’60s childhood to round it out.
There were a lot of fun stories in here, and again - as someone who’s weary but waiting for the wizening to click in, it’s great fun to read. There’s gaps in it, sure, but if you know what you’re getting into it was really enjoyable.
February 6, 2025
Collection of eighteen short stories. Some are set in Hawaii and others feature the character Andre Parent at various points in his life. Many deal with aging and grappling with the end of one's life.
This was my first time reading the work of the author. Overall, a bleak collection. Many of the selections were somber in tone and dealt with people faced with significant life decisions. Almost to a story, I never connected with the characters and found many of the protagonists to be unlikable. Having spent many years working at Stop & Shop, I found the story with that title the most engaging.
This was my first time reading the work of the author. Overall, a bleak collection. Many of the selections were somber in tone and dealt with people faced with significant life decisions. Almost to a story, I never connected with the characters and found many of the protagonists to be unlikable. Having spent many years working at Stop & Shop, I found the story with that title the most engaging.
July 2, 2025
The Vanishing Point by Paul Theroux.
Paul Theroux is a novelist, travel writer and has been called ‘the master of the short story’.
His writing is very detailed, dramatic, and very thought-provoking.
I was drawn to his early works with their descriptions of his Peace Corps experiences. I also liked his books and stories taking place in Hawaii. I like the ‘atmosphere’ he creates with his words.
The stories in The Vanishing Point “focus on life’s vanishing points - a moment when
seemingly all lines running through one’s life converge and one can see no further, yet
must deal with the implications."
****
Paul Theroux is a novelist, travel writer and has been called ‘the master of the short story’.
His writing is very detailed, dramatic, and very thought-provoking.
I was drawn to his early works with their descriptions of his Peace Corps experiences. I also liked his books and stories taking place in Hawaii. I like the ‘atmosphere’ he creates with his words.
The stories in The Vanishing Point “focus on life’s vanishing points - a moment when
seemingly all lines running through one’s life converge and one can see no further, yet
must deal with the implications."
****
February 10, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. The book contains a compilation of short stories. All are written from a man’s or boy’s point of view. They all focus on a significant point in life that sums up the entire life. The stories are well written and interesting. They include stories about women eating pigs and life ending prostitutes. Each story is written from the male perspective and geared toward a traditional male masculine reader. I enjoyed the stories but felt, as a middle aged woman, I was not the intended audience.
March 18, 2025
7 stories in and I’m rather astounded by the female characters in each story. Each female character is a simpleton with no depth. Clueless, shallow, nagging, greedy, desperate. By the third story I was unsettled by this but I enjoy his writing so I kept going. By the sixth story and the multiple portrayals of vapid women in it, I tossed it. Unusual for me, as I finish even the slowest of books. Curious to know if there’s an evolution as it goes on but my reading list is too long to give it the grace to find out.
March 21, 2025
Wow!
I can't believe I've never read anything by Theroux before!
What an accomplished author. His work is concise and polished, and this collection of short fiction showcases his talents. I particularly enjoyed the last section of the book where the stories give us glimpses into a writer's world at various stages of his life, from childhood to old age.
I've already added some of Theroux's novels to my to-be-read stacks. He may turn out to be a new favorite writer.
Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the read.
I can't believe I've never read anything by Theroux before!
What an accomplished author. His work is concise and polished, and this collection of short fiction showcases his talents. I particularly enjoyed the last section of the book where the stories give us glimpses into a writer's world at various stages of his life, from childhood to old age.
I've already added some of Theroux's novels to my to-be-read stacks. He may turn out to be a new favorite writer.
Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the read.
August 20, 2025
"The Vanishing Point" was a mixed bag for me. Well written, but some of the stories felt tedious and dull. The first and longest title story was especially slow and probably my least favorite, though it defined a running vanishing point of life or goal theme of most of the other pieces. Others I did not like were "A Charmed Life", "Headmaster", and. "The Silent Woman". Some favorites were "Adobo", "Hawaii Sugar", "Father X" "First Love" and "Finitude ". As a whole the book read as a kind of " look at all the places I've been and done" writerly show.
November 16, 2025
Admittedly, there are some clunkers in this short story anthology, but there are others that have delicious twists and will stay with me for a long time. I love Paul Theroux’s works. I aim to read everything he’s put out in his prolific writing career. I might be in a minority, because I feel a lot of his fiction is so unique that it’s actually better than his nonfiction travelogues. In a way, I’m jealous of all the places he’s been, but I suppose that’s a reason why he’s great - the stories take me to places I’ve never been.
December 5, 2025
Mr. Theroux writes from the perspective of an old, white, liberal man. That is the perspective that he knows best. I don't expect him to try to get into the female, liberal mind in order to portray accurately that mindset which might be potentially damaging to his own pysche.
As an older man, I find his stories to be bittersweet. And they make me think about my own past experiences and expectations, many that weren't fulfilled. Imagine that, a writer that makes us think rather than regurgitate the narrative-of-the-moment.
As an older man, I find his stories to be bittersweet. And they make me think about my own past experiences and expectations, many that weren't fulfilled. Imagine that, a writer that makes us think rather than regurgitate the narrative-of-the-moment.
March 8, 2025
I can see what the author was trying to do, but these stories seemed to be aimed more for a masculine audience. The narrator did a great job of piecing the stories together but this didn't work as an audio book for me.
I did get a library copy and reading them was better but it still wasn't for me.
The writing was actually quite good but I felt discluded.
I would try this author again though. It could have just been the fact these were short stories.
3.5 stars
I did get a library copy and reading them was better but it still wasn't for me.
The writing was actually quite good but I felt discluded.
I would try this author again though. It could have just been the fact these were short stories.
3.5 stars
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