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There's Something I Want You to Do
"There’s something I want you to do.” This request—sometimes simple, sometimes not—forms the basis for the ten interrelated short stories that comprise this latest penetrating and prophetic collection from the winner of the PEN/Malamud Award and “one of our most gifted writers” ( Chicago Tribune ).
As we follow a diverse group of Minnesota citizens, each grappling with their own heightened fears, responsibilities, and obsessions, Baxter unveils the remarkable in what might otherwise be the seemingly inconsequential moments of everyday life.
As we follow a diverse group of Minnesota citizens, each grappling with their own heightened fears, responsibilities, and obsessions, Baxter unveils the remarkable in what might otherwise be the seemingly inconsequential moments of everyday life.
240 pages, Paperback
First published February 3, 2015
102 people are currently reading
2359 people want to read
About the author
Charles Baxter
94 books430 followersCharles Baxter was born in Minneapolis and graduated from Macalester College, in Saint Paul. After completing graduate work in English at the State University of New York at Buffalo, he taught for several years at Wayne State University in Detroit. In 1989, he moved to the Department of English at the University of Michigan--Ann Arbor and its MFA program. He now teaches at the University of Minnesota.
Baxter is the author of 4 novels, 4 collections of short stories, 3 collections of poems, a collection of essays on fiction and is the editor of other works. His works of fiction include Believers , The Feast of Love (nominated for the National Book Award), Saul and Patsy , and Through the Safety Net . He lives in Minneapolis.
Baxter is the author of 4 novels, 4 collections of short stories, 3 collections of poems, a collection of essays on fiction and is the editor of other works. His works of fiction include Believers , The Feast of Love (nominated for the National Book Award), Saul and Patsy , and Through the Safety Net . He lives in Minneapolis.
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November 26, 2024
QUELLO CHE VOLEVO IN UN MODO CHE NON VOLEVO
Hieronymus Bosch: Sette peccati capitali, Museo del Prado, Madrid.
Era quello che volevo in un modo che non volevo, dice Benny Takemitsu all’amico Elia quando gli racconta la prima volta che ha fatto l’amore con Sarah (nel racconto “Castità”).
Questa era proprio la mia sensazione dopo aver letto i primi due racconti qui raccolti. E infatti, stavo per rinunciare, fermarmi e abbandonare.
Poi però, il terzo racconto, il più lungo, ha cominciato a stendere le ali e sprigionare la magia che cerco nella lettura, ha cominciato a mostrare il talento di Baxter, per me finora sconosciuto (Festa di nozze è sul mio comodino/cassettone da quasi due anni, sigh), ha cominciato a mostrare Bellezza.
Così, sono rimasto agganciato alle pagine, e alla singola pagina: e ho fatto bene, perché da quel momento è stato un crescendo di delizia e piacere. Questa raccolta mano a mano è stata quello che volevo in un modo anche migliore di quello che volevo.
Lo Stone Arch Bridge di Minneapolis sopra il fiume Mississippi un tempo era un ponte ferroviario, adesso invece è pedonale e ciclabile: 21 campate ad arco in pietra, fu fatto costruire da James J. Hill, magnate delle ferrovie americane e inaugurato nel 1883 .
Baxter orchestra il suo personale Decalogo (ma per carità lasciamo perdere Kieslowski che rimane unico e insuperabile), dividendo la raccolta in due parti, prima le virtù (coraggio, fedeltà, castità, carità, tolleranza) e poi i vizi (lussuria, accidia, avarizia, gola, vanità), ogni volta cinque, in una sorta di rivisitazione del celebre quadro di Bosch.
Baxter, comunque, sterza, avanza sghembo, vizi e virtù nella sua personale accezione sono più che altro stati d’animo, non così scontati come potrebbero sembrare a primo acchito.
Georges Seurat: Un dimanche après-midi à l'île de la Grande Jatte, 1883-85, Art Institute di Chicago. Baxter lo cita nella preziosa ‘coda’ alla raccolta.
Nella bella ‘coda’, che è una specie di undicesimo breve racconto, un regalo al lettore, Baxter dice che l’ispirazione per questa raccolta gli è venuta durante una passeggiata in un giorno di primavera, guardando la gente passare, osservando chi di solito ci scorre davanti senza lasciare traccia (ma forse una scia).
Una raccolta strutturata in modo articolato, dove ogni racconto è ben collegato agli altri, con rimandi e personaggi che ritornano, una volta comparse e la volta dopo protagonisti: Baxter è un bravo direttore d’orchestra, sa riservare a ciascun personaggio il suo assolo o il suo momento nel coro.
Albert Bierstadt: Falls St. Anthony, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza di Madrid.
Peccato che il revisore bozze fosse in ferie o malattia, ci sono troppi refusi per il livello delle edizioni Mattioli, così belle e di solito curate: si arriva al punto che in ogni singola pagina, nonché nella postfazione a cura del traduttore Nicola Manuppelli, sul sito della casa editrice, ovunque il titolo contiene il pronome indicativo ‘tu’, tranne che sulla copertina, dove è invece omesso.
La scrittura di Baxter è da alcuni descritta come dotata di ‘ritmo cinematografico’, da altri come ‘lirica e chirurgica’, e a me entrambe le definizioni sembrano etichette prive di senso e contenuto, anche se la seconda ci si avvicina di più.
”Feast of Love”, film così così mai uscito in Italia, diretto da Robert Benton (vincitore di tre premi Oscar tra cui quello per la regia di “Kramer vs Kramer”) tratto dall’omonimo romanzo di Charles Baxter. 2007.
Hieronymus Bosch: Sette peccati capitali, Museo del Prado, Madrid.
Era quello che volevo in un modo che non volevo, dice Benny Takemitsu all’amico Elia quando gli racconta la prima volta che ha fatto l’amore con Sarah (nel racconto “Castità”).
Questa era proprio la mia sensazione dopo aver letto i primi due racconti qui raccolti. E infatti, stavo per rinunciare, fermarmi e abbandonare.
Poi però, il terzo racconto, il più lungo, ha cominciato a stendere le ali e sprigionare la magia che cerco nella lettura, ha cominciato a mostrare il talento di Baxter, per me finora sconosciuto (Festa di nozze è sul mio comodino/cassettone da quasi due anni, sigh), ha cominciato a mostrare Bellezza.
Così, sono rimasto agganciato alle pagine, e alla singola pagina: e ho fatto bene, perché da quel momento è stato un crescendo di delizia e piacere. Questa raccolta mano a mano è stata quello che volevo in un modo anche migliore di quello che volevo.
Lo Stone Arch Bridge di Minneapolis sopra il fiume Mississippi un tempo era un ponte ferroviario, adesso invece è pedonale e ciclabile: 21 campate ad arco in pietra, fu fatto costruire da James J. Hill, magnate delle ferrovie americane e inaugurato nel 1883 .
Baxter orchestra il suo personale Decalogo (ma per carità lasciamo perdere Kieslowski che rimane unico e insuperabile), dividendo la raccolta in due parti, prima le virtù (coraggio, fedeltà, castità, carità, tolleranza) e poi i vizi (lussuria, accidia, avarizia, gola, vanità), ogni volta cinque, in una sorta di rivisitazione del celebre quadro di Bosch.
Baxter, comunque, sterza, avanza sghembo, vizi e virtù nella sua personale accezione sono più che altro stati d’animo, non così scontati come potrebbero sembrare a primo acchito.
Georges Seurat: Un dimanche après-midi à l'île de la Grande Jatte, 1883-85, Art Institute di Chicago. Baxter lo cita nella preziosa ‘coda’ alla raccolta.
Nella bella ‘coda’, che è una specie di undicesimo breve racconto, un regalo al lettore, Baxter dice che l’ispirazione per questa raccolta gli è venuta durante una passeggiata in un giorno di primavera, guardando la gente passare, osservando chi di solito ci scorre davanti senza lasciare traccia (ma forse una scia).
Una raccolta strutturata in modo articolato, dove ogni racconto è ben collegato agli altri, con rimandi e personaggi che ritornano, una volta comparse e la volta dopo protagonisti: Baxter è un bravo direttore d’orchestra, sa riservare a ciascun personaggio il suo assolo o il suo momento nel coro.
Albert Bierstadt: Falls St. Anthony, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza di Madrid.
Peccato che il revisore bozze fosse in ferie o malattia, ci sono troppi refusi per il livello delle edizioni Mattioli, così belle e di solito curate: si arriva al punto che in ogni singola pagina, nonché nella postfazione a cura del traduttore Nicola Manuppelli, sul sito della casa editrice, ovunque il titolo contiene il pronome indicativo ‘tu’, tranne che sulla copertina, dove è invece omesso.
La scrittura di Baxter è da alcuni descritta come dotata di ‘ritmo cinematografico’, da altri come ‘lirica e chirurgica’, e a me entrambe le definizioni sembrano etichette prive di senso e contenuto, anche se la seconda ci si avvicina di più.
”Feast of Love”, film così così mai uscito in Italia, diretto da Robert Benton (vincitore di tre premi Oscar tra cui quello per la regia di “Kramer vs Kramer”) tratto dall’omonimo romanzo di Charles Baxter. 2007.
November 2, 2016
Charles Baxter is an extraordinary writer. I can't emphasize that enough. He's one of the best. Especially when it comes to writing short stores. But he's not for everyone. There's no escapism to be found here. This isn't a book you read because you want to disappear into fantasy land for a while. He writes serious, moody, character studies. Many of his stories are the equivalent of an independent film. If you like short stories with no real beginning or end, and not much in the way of plot...just a meaningful glimpse of an ordinary persons life...then you ought to check this author out. There's no one else quite like him. Life changing events can sometimes stem from the smallest of incidents. These stories (all his stories) are fairly simple on the surface, but when it's over and you take a moment to think about it... you'll start to realize that the message was much deeper. If you're unfamiliar with Charles Baxter, and this review has motivated you to check him out, I highly recommend starting with his "best of" collection titled: Gryphon. I could write a whole essay on that title story alone, about a substitute teacher who arrives at a middle school for a couple days and baffles the young students with her unusual teaching methods. She teaches the students to think differently. More outside the box. And as the reader, you become another one of her students. Just as baffled and fascinated as they are. I make a point to read that story at least once a year. It still has me thinking...
March 15, 2017
This is a really good group of interrelated short stories. Although well written, it lacked the punch I felt with each of Mary Miller's stories in Always Happy Hour and Big World. Don't get me wrong it's a great book, I just read two better ones from the same genre (short fiction) right before it.
December 3, 2014
Charles Baxter has a knack for taking disparate characters and weaving them into an almost dreamlike tapestry. It’s why I was a huge fan of his novel, Feast of Love, for which he was a finalist for the National Book Award. In his new short story collection, there are threads of that process.
The stories are interrelated and organized into Virtues (Bravery, Loyalty, Chastity, Charity and Forbearance) and vices (Lust Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony, Vanity). But, of course, it’s not as cut and dry as that. Characters appear and reappear. For instance, in the first story, we met a doctor named Elijah—the same name as the prophet and wonder-worker – who appears in several of the stories. Is he great and righteous or flawed despite his healing powers? Gradually, we learn more and more about him.
It’s the title, though, that is the key to each of these stories. In every story, the key character is approached by another, who, in effect, tells him/her, “There something I want you to do.” Whether it’s to see that person’s authentic self, take an emotional risk, help the character through a crisis, conduct a rescue or something else, this becomes a distinctly moral book, but not in a preachy way.
Mr. Baxter is too good a writer to provide easy answers; his focus is on the ambiguity of life, the crossroads that we all reach. Whether he’s writing about a broken-hearted architect who stops a woman – a stand-up comic – from jumping off a bridge to the doctor coming across Alfred Hitchcock’s ghost, these are brave little stories that build in momentum as the collection progresses. A little skeptical at first – these stories whisper, don’t scream -- I found myself falling under its spell the more I read.
The stories are interrelated and organized into Virtues (Bravery, Loyalty, Chastity, Charity and Forbearance) and vices (Lust Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony, Vanity). But, of course, it’s not as cut and dry as that. Characters appear and reappear. For instance, in the first story, we met a doctor named Elijah—the same name as the prophet and wonder-worker – who appears in several of the stories. Is he great and righteous or flawed despite his healing powers? Gradually, we learn more and more about him.
It’s the title, though, that is the key to each of these stories. In every story, the key character is approached by another, who, in effect, tells him/her, “There something I want you to do.” Whether it’s to see that person’s authentic self, take an emotional risk, help the character through a crisis, conduct a rescue or something else, this becomes a distinctly moral book, but not in a preachy way.
Mr. Baxter is too good a writer to provide easy answers; his focus is on the ambiguity of life, the crossroads that we all reach. Whether he’s writing about a broken-hearted architect who stops a woman – a stand-up comic – from jumping off a bridge to the doctor coming across Alfred Hitchcock’s ghost, these are brave little stories that build in momentum as the collection progresses. A little skeptical at first – these stories whisper, don’t scream -- I found myself falling under its spell the more I read.
May 19, 2016
Moral Encounters in Minneapolis
How could I never even have heard of Charles Baxter? The ten connected stories in this collection are wonderful: not spectacular or earth-shaking, but quietly satisfying. While built around a solid moral core, they are seldom predictable in the directions they take.
For example, consider the titles: Bravery, Loyalty, Chastity, Charity, Forbearance; Lust, Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony, and Vanity. Five virtues and five vices; the moral implications are clear. But the themes are seldom expressed directly, let alone in sermon fashion. The chastity in the story of that name is not sexual abstinence, but self-protective irony. The charity in the next story is surprising and beautiful, but it goes hand in hand with the death of love. "Lust" begins with almost its opposite—the denial of sex—but ends with one character telling dirty jokes to his dying friend to keep his spirits up. Perhaps gluttony is a contributing factor to the car accident suffered by another leading character, but its centerpiece is an excruciating interview with the evangelical parents of his son's girlfriend, who wonder what kind of upbringing would permit the young man to procure their daughter's abortion.
Besides the theme of virtue and vice, the stories are connected in several other ways. Although there are other locales—San Francisco, Tuscany, and Prague—all of them touch down at some point in Minneapolis (where the author teaches at the university). Many of the characters return in more than one story, sometimes in walk-on roles, occasionally as the protagonist of more than one. Dr. Elijah Elliott Jones, a successful pediatrician, is the central figure in three stories over a thirty-year span, and makes brief appearances in at least two more. His architect friend, Benny Takemitsu, has two stories of his own and another couple of references. Another character, Wesley—whose wife abandons him and their infant child, but returns years later, long after he has happily remarried—is also the center of several stories filled with the qualities of charity, compassion, and faith.
The only story that is not about one of these three may be one of the best. It features a translator struggling with a poem in an obscure extinct dialect that defeats her until the poet comes to her in a dream telling her to translate one of his other poems instead. She does so, and the translation becomes a beautiful eulogy for the death of her young niece (and yes, the pediatrician is Dr. Elijah Jones). The book jacket makes a lot of the fact that several stories are connected also by similar psychic experiences: Elijah's bride, for instance, is deeply affected by the prophecies of an old gypsy speaking to her in Czech, a language she should not understand, and Elijah himself, many years later, finds himself by the Mississippi at night sitting on a park bench between the ghosts of Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant. But I did not find these moments intrusive at all, more like spice seasoning a well-balanced dish. And I was halfway through the book before I noticed the title line, "There's something I want you to do," cropping up in several of the stories, if not all of them. The point is that it never comes in as a gimmick, but as a natural development of the characters and situation, though often signaling a twist that takes the story into deeper and yet more satisfying waters.
How could I never even have heard of Charles Baxter? The ten connected stories in this collection are wonderful: not spectacular or earth-shaking, but quietly satisfying. While built around a solid moral core, they are seldom predictable in the directions they take.
For example, consider the titles: Bravery, Loyalty, Chastity, Charity, Forbearance; Lust, Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony, and Vanity. Five virtues and five vices; the moral implications are clear. But the themes are seldom expressed directly, let alone in sermon fashion. The chastity in the story of that name is not sexual abstinence, but self-protective irony. The charity in the next story is surprising and beautiful, but it goes hand in hand with the death of love. "Lust" begins with almost its opposite—the denial of sex—but ends with one character telling dirty jokes to his dying friend to keep his spirits up. Perhaps gluttony is a contributing factor to the car accident suffered by another leading character, but its centerpiece is an excruciating interview with the evangelical parents of his son's girlfriend, who wonder what kind of upbringing would permit the young man to procure their daughter's abortion.
Besides the theme of virtue and vice, the stories are connected in several other ways. Although there are other locales—San Francisco, Tuscany, and Prague—all of them touch down at some point in Minneapolis (where the author teaches at the university). Many of the characters return in more than one story, sometimes in walk-on roles, occasionally as the protagonist of more than one. Dr. Elijah Elliott Jones, a successful pediatrician, is the central figure in three stories over a thirty-year span, and makes brief appearances in at least two more. His architect friend, Benny Takemitsu, has two stories of his own and another couple of references. Another character, Wesley—whose wife abandons him and their infant child, but returns years later, long after he has happily remarried—is also the center of several stories filled with the qualities of charity, compassion, and faith.
The only story that is not about one of these three may be one of the best. It features a translator struggling with a poem in an obscure extinct dialect that defeats her until the poet comes to her in a dream telling her to translate one of his other poems instead. She does so, and the translation becomes a beautiful eulogy for the death of her young niece (and yes, the pediatrician is Dr. Elijah Jones). The book jacket makes a lot of the fact that several stories are connected also by similar psychic experiences: Elijah's bride, for instance, is deeply affected by the prophecies of an old gypsy speaking to her in Czech, a language she should not understand, and Elijah himself, many years later, finds himself by the Mississippi at night sitting on a park bench between the ghosts of Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant. But I did not find these moments intrusive at all, more like spice seasoning a well-balanced dish. And I was halfway through the book before I noticed the title line, "There's something I want you to do," cropping up in several of the stories, if not all of them. The point is that it never comes in as a gimmick, but as a natural development of the characters and situation, though often signaling a twist that takes the story into deeper and yet more satisfying waters.
March 7, 2015
Baxter is a talented novelist and short story writer in the 9 loosely linked stories he chronicles the life and times of a diverse group of modern Minnesotans. Toward the end. Of the collection he quotes a Delmore Schwartz poem about Serraut's painting of the boating party. The interplay of the figures in the painting is akin to the relationships between the characters in these stories. Major characters play bit parts in other stories while minor figures emerge as fully formed figures in later stories. Baxter does not disappoint and generally each story is quite good on its own. Still there was nothing here that blew me away, so I will leave it at 3 stars
September 7, 2018
Much less bleak than Believers, and possessing so much more hope, TSISYtD is a unique collection of stories that take place across what seems to be one consistent timeline. At times, Baxter seems to be a student of Carver. His stories begin at the point of a knife gouged deep already, and are slowly drawn out to reveal what is within, but lo! There is nothing left on the blade when it is removed. Characters search for meaning in the unique mundanity of their lives (an ex-wife returns home, a doctor’s son and his girlfriend have an abortion and the girl’s parents try to dress down the doctor, a once charitable man becomes an addict through an irreversible malady). Their lives are not mundane, but through Baxter’s skillful narrative delivery, what we see appears typical to the character. The only gripe I have is that because of this narrative conceit it would seem that epiphany would spoil the whole effect, and I happen to enjoy epiphany! Gripe 1b. is that occasionally it would seem Baxter does try to deliver some sort of realization to his protagonist, but it falls flat.
Still, these are excellent character pieces and the circumstances that they have to deal with make for enjoyable reading. I was sad to see There’s Something... end.
Still, these are excellent character pieces and the circumstances that they have to deal with make for enjoyable reading. I was sad to see There’s Something... end.
February 7, 2025
Loosely inter-connected short stories covering the 7 deadly sins. Based in Minneapolis. I really enjoy his style…hard to put down.
March 16, 2015
4.9 stars
interconnected (like birds are to trees or homeless to aluminum?) stories set in twin cities, along the river mostly, but also in hospitals and poor neighborhoods and rich burbs and a coffee shop and walking along the paths and bridges and in cars and late night back yards and seedy motels (no one told) and some bars, but not many.
looks at morality, interpersonal relationships, duty, compassion . i mean, just look at the TOC
this is sorta if you could meld kis and dybeck A Tomb for Boris DavidovichI Sailed with Magellan sweet n evil
here's a bit from page 168
From the story “avarice”
“I believe that humanity id divided into two camps: those who have killed others, or can imagine themselves doing so; and those for whom the act and the thought are inconceivable. Looking at me, you would probably not think me capable of murder, but I found that black coal in my soul, and it burned fiercely. I loved having it there.
“All my life, I worked as a librarian in the uptown branch. A librarian with the heart of a murderer! No one guessed.”
interconnected (like birds are to trees or homeless to aluminum?) stories set in twin cities, along the river mostly, but also in hospitals and poor neighborhoods and rich burbs and a coffee shop and walking along the paths and bridges and in cars and late night back yards and seedy motels (no one told) and some bars, but not many.
looks at morality, interpersonal relationships, duty, compassion . i mean, just look at the TOC
this is sorta if you could meld kis and dybeck A Tomb for Boris DavidovichI Sailed with Magellan sweet n evil
here's a bit from page 168
From the story “avarice”
“I believe that humanity id divided into two camps: those who have killed others, or can imagine themselves doing so; and those for whom the act and the thought are inconceivable. Looking at me, you would probably not think me capable of murder, but I found that black coal in my soul, and it burned fiercely. I loved having it there.
“All my life, I worked as a librarian in the uptown branch. A librarian with the heart of a murderer! No one guessed.”
June 14, 2015
In my view, Baxter just keeps getting better and better. He's truly one of our contemporary masters in the short story. Wonderful, unexpected, satisfying stories fill this collection, several of them deservedly selected for Best American. And the collection as a whole satisfies too--not only are the stories linked (characters reappear; Minnesota,especially Minneapolis, comes alive; and forms repeat) but there's an arc to the collection as a whole. An abstraction titles each story--"Charity," "Lust," "Avarice," "Gluttony," you get the idea. Through most of the book, stories seem to begin with the opposite of the title and work their way like a poem might to the abstraction of the title but always in an unexpected manner. For instance, lust ends with a verbal tour de force of lust, as told to a dying man. But toward the end of the book, the form shifts, though the stories remain a kind of poetic meditation on the title idea--these stories end on an insight. The final piece in the book, fittingly, is a short meditation on Minneapolis history. Reading this book makes me long to be back in the fiction writing classroom--I want to ask students to model these forms as well as to read the whole collection as an exemplar of the genre. Thank you, Charlie. Though you don't know it, you've given me so much insight into teaching and understanding how fiction works.
July 4, 2015
This collection was such a wonderful surprise! First, I didn't even know Baxter had new work available until my friend Don sent me this hardcover as a gift! Then, when I made time to read it, I just savored every word! I had been disappointed with Baxter's last novel, and forgot what an outstanding short story writer he has always been. I consider him a favorite, and these loosely linked stories did not disappoint. They did many of the tricky things he does best - showed a great variety of well-rounded, believable characters from a wide range of circumstances (stable, insane, addicted, in love, wealthy) and the parts end up creating a greater whole (a sense of higher power/purpose, a township vs. a few haphazard occupants). I really cherish Charles Baxter as a great American short story writer, erudite and entertaining, and would be delighted to recommend There's Something I Want You To Do (and yes, that line is in each story), as a fine introduction to one of our national treasures.
July 10, 2020
One of the beautiful sentences:
"Now, many years later, gazing at his son and seeing a remnant of Sarah's face in the boys characteristic skeptical expression, Benny imagines those days - including the trip to the mall and a little gag they played on a clerk - as a charade of sorts in which he was invited to try out different roles, shedding one after another as Sarah herself did, until he might find one that suited him, although what he didnt understand at the time (as he does now, of course) is that what he mistook for a charade and a pastime, a stunt, a form of harmless amateur wickedness, was for her a tether that held her to the earth. "
"Now, many years later, gazing at his son and seeing a remnant of Sarah's face in the boys characteristic skeptical expression, Benny imagines those days - including the trip to the mall and a little gag they played on a clerk - as a charade of sorts in which he was invited to try out different roles, shedding one after another as Sarah herself did, until he might find one that suited him, although what he didnt understand at the time (as he does now, of course) is that what he mistook for a charade and a pastime, a stunt, a form of harmless amateur wickedness, was for her a tether that held her to the earth. "
February 22, 2015
It's hard to believe that Baxter has written three novels since Feast of Love, one of my favorite novels. I am behind on his work! His new collection of short stories are so expertly crafted and perfectly paced, that I am reminded of why I loved Feast of Love so much. Highly recommended.
April 12, 2018
There's Something I Want You to Do by Charles Baxter is a book of excellent short stories that capture the ironies and pathos and quirks of modern life in America. The geographical focus is Minneapolis (although for some reason severe winter seldom appears here). The lead characters are generally professional class with downward tendencies.
Baxter's gift with the short story form is his energy, the way he moves the action along while filling it with those odd things we all notice in life and chide ourselves for not articulating. Or maybe we don't all do that. Maybe we rely on writers like Baxter to render for us the sidewalk and riverwalk and barroom and bedroom and backyard scenes that fill our lives.
His prose style is economical, pungent, and contemporary. These aren't moody stories; they're punchy. My favorite involves a set of Christian parents confronting a doctor whose son has impregnated their daughter, which led the daughter to have an abortion (not performed by the doctor in question.) This doctor has had parents go wild on him for decades (he's a pediatrician), but the put-downs and damnations he receives in this piece are terrific, as is his impressively temperate way of telling these folks to perform a sex act upon themselves.
One curious thing about Baxter's stories is that often they end with deliberately flat but leering revelations and reversals. Sometimes it feels as though he's simply pasted a few sentences onto his text, but he's too good for that. I'd need to read more of his work to be more confident that I know what he's up to. The coda to these stories, a short prose piece about Minneapolis, is a perfect example of this peculiar aesthetic.
If you like short stories, Baxter writes good ones.
Baxter's gift with the short story form is his energy, the way he moves the action along while filling it with those odd things we all notice in life and chide ourselves for not articulating. Or maybe we don't all do that. Maybe we rely on writers like Baxter to render for us the sidewalk and riverwalk and barroom and bedroom and backyard scenes that fill our lives.
His prose style is economical, pungent, and contemporary. These aren't moody stories; they're punchy. My favorite involves a set of Christian parents confronting a doctor whose son has impregnated their daughter, which led the daughter to have an abortion (not performed by the doctor in question.) This doctor has had parents go wild on him for decades (he's a pediatrician), but the put-downs and damnations he receives in this piece are terrific, as is his impressively temperate way of telling these folks to perform a sex act upon themselves.
One curious thing about Baxter's stories is that often they end with deliberately flat but leering revelations and reversals. Sometimes it feels as though he's simply pasted a few sentences onto his text, but he's too good for that. I'd need to read more of his work to be more confident that I know what he's up to. The coda to these stories, a short prose piece about Minneapolis, is a perfect example of this peculiar aesthetic.
If you like short stories, Baxter writes good ones.
March 30, 2023
I am not a talented enough writer to convey how profoundly wonderful I found this book. Some passages are beautiful because the writing is beautiful. Some passages are beautiful because they are True. Some passages are beautiful because they are both.
I first fell in love with Baxter's novel The Feast of Love many years ago. That, and this one, are my favorites of his and among my favorite books I've ever read.
I first fell in love with Baxter's novel The Feast of Love many years ago. That, and this one, are my favorites of his and among my favorite books I've ever read.
September 23, 2020
The premise of this book is that human beings are an amalgam of good and bad, and it is extremely effective at exploring the consequences of combination. The ghost of Alfred Hitchcock, a militantly pro-life couple, a woman who has a vision of her after-life upon discovering a lump in her breast, a sexually active young woman with virgin lips, a washed-up film actor/casino greeter, a Jew on Schindler’s List—these are a few of the guides in this wonderful short story collection. The bonus is that it is also very well written—check out the poetry in “Forbearance.”
October 19, 2023
3.75 stars
read for school
out of the books i've read for this class so far, this has been the most enjoyable! the writing was so atmospheric and perfectly described certain sights and smells in merely a sentence or two. and while the characters say and do some very wild things, it didn't feel unrealistic. humans do many things without reason or knowing why. overall, a pretty cool book. :)
read for school
out of the books i've read for this class so far, this has been the most enjoyable! the writing was so atmospheric and perfectly described certain sights and smells in merely a sentence or two. and while the characters say and do some very wild things, it didn't feel unrealistic. humans do many things without reason or knowing why. overall, a pretty cool book. :)
November 9, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. It's a collection of short stories. Each story has the title somewhere in it. Also the stories are connected. The characters appear in each other's stories or maybe from a different period or perspective. The titles of the stories are great also. Part 1 are virtues; bravery, loyalty, chastity, charity, forbearance. Part 2 are sins; lust, sloth, avarice, gluttony and vanity.
March 22, 2025
New favourite author.
July 24, 2021
I don't generally love short stories, but I liked this book - most of it takes place in Minneapolis!
December 3, 2020
Quirky stories connecting most of the characters, and alternating points of view. Very identifiable settings around the U of MN. Baxter is a very well regarded Prof from the U’s English & Creative Writing Dept. Recently retired. Unique and greatly readable.
May 8, 2015
Walt Whitman wrote, “I am large, I contain multitudes.” I consider this to be the identifying statement of a good fiction writer. Such a writer doesn’t just sketch figures on a piece of paper. He or she must fully embody these figures, filling them with voice, desire, pain, disappointment and the myriad of emotions, physical sensations and actions that make them unmistakably, irresistibly human. In this respect Charles Baxter delivers, admirably so, with this new story collection. His characters are struggling, literally and figuratively, with the weight of the issues life hands them: addiction, divorce, death, loneliness, illness, crime.
But their stories turn when one more thing is added to the pile—a request. And this request is usually made with the heavy subtext of, “If you love me you would do this…” There’s Something I Want You to Do is a fine observation of how these moments of request happen constantly. The book also makes us acutely aware that how we respond to them could be the measure of our lives.
I loved the cohesiveness of this book. The stories stayed present for me, and what I mean by that is I didn’t forget one when I moved on to another. Unfortunately this can happen when reading story collections, especially if the stories are disparate or cause you frequently to put the book down for periods of time between readings. Baxter has very much built a world here in his version of Minneapolis, on the banks of the Mississippi River, where much of the book takes place. Every time I opened the book’s pages I felt as though I were stepping into this world, taking my seat on a bench by the river, and watching these stories play out.
What was I watching? A journey, I think. And the characters, a few of them recurring throughout the book, were like signposts along this journey where we are meant to gain a better understanding of ourselves.
The stories are titled with a virtue or vice. Part One consists of virtues: Bravery, Loyalty, Chastity, Charity, Forbearance. Part Two has all the vices: Lust, Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony, Vanity. But the virtues and vices don’t play out in the way one might expect them to. This isn’t about getting hit over the head with Bible lessons. But they do provide a kind of lens through which to examine the behavior of Baxter’s characters. And the structure this setup provides results in the collection’s cohesiveness.
My favorite: “Chastity” because it challenged me the most. A difficult situation: a woman, Sarah, is threatening to jump off a bridge. A difficult character: It’s hard to tell what the deal is with this woman. Is she crazy or truly unable to take anything, even the most serious aspects of life, seriously? And why is Benny, who encounters her, so determined to hold on to her throughout this story? “After all, she was grinning. Dear God, he thought, the perfect incongruity of that grin. He felt a sudden resolve to hold on to her forever if he had to.”
With any other writer I would have finished such a story and thought, “Okay, that was just crazy,” and moved on to the next piece. However Baxter shows there is a depth of emotion involved here and it made me pay attention. And he does an excellent job of simply making these characters real. Their voices are distinct and believable. The standup routine he writes for Sarah is sheer brilliance: acidic, and fiercely feminine. This story vibrated with intent and I wanted to honor that intent by reading it as well as I could.
I highly recommend this book not only for fans of the short story, but also for fans of fiction in general—and all lovers of good writing. I am new to Baxter’s fiction but he is obviously a master of the form and it is always a pleasure and a privilege to get to experience a talented artist at work.
But their stories turn when one more thing is added to the pile—a request. And this request is usually made with the heavy subtext of, “If you love me you would do this…” There’s Something I Want You to Do is a fine observation of how these moments of request happen constantly. The book also makes us acutely aware that how we respond to them could be the measure of our lives.
I loved the cohesiveness of this book. The stories stayed present for me, and what I mean by that is I didn’t forget one when I moved on to another. Unfortunately this can happen when reading story collections, especially if the stories are disparate or cause you frequently to put the book down for periods of time between readings. Baxter has very much built a world here in his version of Minneapolis, on the banks of the Mississippi River, where much of the book takes place. Every time I opened the book’s pages I felt as though I were stepping into this world, taking my seat on a bench by the river, and watching these stories play out.
What was I watching? A journey, I think. And the characters, a few of them recurring throughout the book, were like signposts along this journey where we are meant to gain a better understanding of ourselves.
The stories are titled with a virtue or vice. Part One consists of virtues: Bravery, Loyalty, Chastity, Charity, Forbearance. Part Two has all the vices: Lust, Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony, Vanity. But the virtues and vices don’t play out in the way one might expect them to. This isn’t about getting hit over the head with Bible lessons. But they do provide a kind of lens through which to examine the behavior of Baxter’s characters. And the structure this setup provides results in the collection’s cohesiveness.
My favorite: “Chastity” because it challenged me the most. A difficult situation: a woman, Sarah, is threatening to jump off a bridge. A difficult character: It’s hard to tell what the deal is with this woman. Is she crazy or truly unable to take anything, even the most serious aspects of life, seriously? And why is Benny, who encounters her, so determined to hold on to her throughout this story? “After all, she was grinning. Dear God, he thought, the perfect incongruity of that grin. He felt a sudden resolve to hold on to her forever if he had to.”
With any other writer I would have finished such a story and thought, “Okay, that was just crazy,” and moved on to the next piece. However Baxter shows there is a depth of emotion involved here and it made me pay attention. And he does an excellent job of simply making these characters real. Their voices are distinct and believable. The standup routine he writes for Sarah is sheer brilliance: acidic, and fiercely feminine. This story vibrated with intent and I wanted to honor that intent by reading it as well as I could.
I highly recommend this book not only for fans of the short story, but also for fans of fiction in general—and all lovers of good writing. I am new to Baxter’s fiction but he is obviously a master of the form and it is always a pleasure and a privilege to get to experience a talented artist at work.
February 15, 2015
A delightful collection of short stories. Baxter takes us into the private lives of several professional people and one mechanic. The characters know each other and make appearances in the other stores. Benjamin the Architect and Elijah the pediatrician are friends who often see each other in the coffee shop. Elijah is the Dr. to other people's children.
The chapter titles are virtues or vices: Bravery, Loyalty, Lust, Sloth, etc.
In the chapter Loyalty, Wes' first wife, Corinne, returns after 16 years of absence. She just drove off one day never to be seen again although she did talk to by phone and the correspond by letter to Wes and Corinne's son. Wes remarried and had two more children. Corinne appeared out of nowhere and needs a place to be. We is wrestling with whether or not to let her stay with them. "I have to let her remain here if she wants to. She's wreckage. It's as simple as that. We have these obligations to our human ruins. What happened to her could've happened to me or to anybody." (38-39) Now, that is loyalty.
In the chapter Forebearance, there is a funny little scene. Emily is in Italy with her son. She is translating poetry. She is stuck on a poem that just will not translate. She decides to take up smoking and goes to the village store where she can purchase cigarettes. The shop keeper reminds her that she does not smoke. She responds that today being what it is, today is a good day to learn how to smoke. The shop keeper agrees that vices are necessary from time to time. He says, "You are correct. As we get old, we need to acquire new vices. God will not be interested in us otherwise. We must wave our arms at Him to get His attention." I don't agree with this sentiment, but it is amusing nonetheless.
In the chapter Avarice, Wes' mother, Dolores, relays how she became a single mother. When Wes was still in the crib, a well to do woman who had been drinking struck Wes while he was changing a tire on the side of the road. Struck more than once actually. She propelled Dolores' husband forward and then ran over him with her front and rear tires. She recognized him in the morgue because of the shirt he was wearing. The socialite went to prison, but as Dolores tells us while she is out of prison her husband is still underground. Prison is not a satisfying justice for someone who murdered with nary a thought. Dolores contemplated murder. The scene on page 168 where she forgives the woman is really quite a moving piece of literature. Baxter reminds us all that forgiveness is no easy matter at all.
This is my first time reading a collection of Baxter's short stories. I am looking forward to reading more.
The chapter titles are virtues or vices: Bravery, Loyalty, Lust, Sloth, etc.
In the chapter Loyalty, Wes' first wife, Corinne, returns after 16 years of absence. She just drove off one day never to be seen again although she did talk to by phone and the correspond by letter to Wes and Corinne's son. Wes remarried and had two more children. Corinne appeared out of nowhere and needs a place to be. We is wrestling with whether or not to let her stay with them. "I have to let her remain here if she wants to. She's wreckage. It's as simple as that. We have these obligations to our human ruins. What happened to her could've happened to me or to anybody." (38-39) Now, that is loyalty.
In the chapter Forebearance, there is a funny little scene. Emily is in Italy with her son. She is translating poetry. She is stuck on a poem that just will not translate. She decides to take up smoking and goes to the village store where she can purchase cigarettes. The shop keeper reminds her that she does not smoke. She responds that today being what it is, today is a good day to learn how to smoke. The shop keeper agrees that vices are necessary from time to time. He says, "You are correct. As we get old, we need to acquire new vices. God will not be interested in us otherwise. We must wave our arms at Him to get His attention." I don't agree with this sentiment, but it is amusing nonetheless.
In the chapter Avarice, Wes' mother, Dolores, relays how she became a single mother. When Wes was still in the crib, a well to do woman who had been drinking struck Wes while he was changing a tire on the side of the road. Struck more than once actually. She propelled Dolores' husband forward and then ran over him with her front and rear tires. She recognized him in the morgue because of the shirt he was wearing. The socialite went to prison, but as Dolores tells us while she is out of prison her husband is still underground. Prison is not a satisfying justice for someone who murdered with nary a thought. Dolores contemplated murder. The scene on page 168 where she forgives the woman is really quite a moving piece of literature. Baxter reminds us all that forgiveness is no easy matter at all.
This is my first time reading a collection of Baxter's short stories. I am looking forward to reading more.
March 14, 2015
There's something I want you to do fellow reader, and that is to open these pages and read the stories within as if the very fate of humankind depended upon it...
There's Something I Want You to Do is a wonderfully written collection of stories that encourages us to study human nature at its core in present day terms. At first, this thoughtful collection of tales seems like regular short stories, but, as is life for all us, the stories start to intermingle; familiar faces greeting us in future narratives. What's most appropriate about this is how relative it is to our everyday lives. This collection of stories is about those strangers who you see moving around you everyday, yet go unnoticed, blending in to the scene around you. But these people aren't average set dressings. They are indeed narrators of their own life story, and in some small way, appear to be connected even to us. Charles Baxter is a man who seems to know the human condition well and characterizes a different point of view that can open our eyes to those outside of our little bubbles of existence. Both beautiful and despairing, these stories are revealing, imaginative, tiresome, and boring all at once. But the discrepancy mirrors the failings and successes of the human condition, which is entirely appropriate for the theme at hand. Reccommended to those who desire the understanding to know the what, to discover the why, and to imagine the how, for humanity as it stands.....in Minneapolis anyway.
There's Something I Want You to Do is a wonderfully written collection of stories that encourages us to study human nature at its core in present day terms. At first, this thoughtful collection of tales seems like regular short stories, but, as is life for all us, the stories start to intermingle; familiar faces greeting us in future narratives. What's most appropriate about this is how relative it is to our everyday lives. This collection of stories is about those strangers who you see moving around you everyday, yet go unnoticed, blending in to the scene around you. But these people aren't average set dressings. They are indeed narrators of their own life story, and in some small way, appear to be connected even to us. Charles Baxter is a man who seems to know the human condition well and characterizes a different point of view that can open our eyes to those outside of our little bubbles of existence. Both beautiful and despairing, these stories are revealing, imaginative, tiresome, and boring all at once. But the discrepancy mirrors the failings and successes of the human condition, which is entirely appropriate for the theme at hand. Reccommended to those who desire the understanding to know the what, to discover the why, and to imagine the how, for humanity as it stands.....in Minneapolis anyway.
March 13, 2015
Sometimes a book has to be read closely and from a distance to truly appreciate the craft and thought that went into it . "There's Something I Want You To Do" is one of those books.
Each individual story is superb. The attention to detail and to language, the development of characters, the fullness of their storylines - amazing. Baxter is the king of being able to define who a character is in one succinct sentence. While at times, the plot might seem light, you realize as you read on that everything that happens in the story creates ripples in someone else's storyline.
Then, you back away and look at the collection as a whole. The stories intersect, in time and in events. Moving easily back and forth, you see a character from this story pop up here, and then a character from that story pop up there. Just the way we do in life.
I fell in love with this collection and I forced myself to slow down while reading it. The excited reader in me wanted to stay awake all night and devour it. But I limited myself to two stories a day, so that I had time to mull them over before I moved on to the next one. I'm glad I did, because in my hurry, I might have missed something.
Some books are to be savored and admired. Savor this one. You're bound to admire it.
Each individual story is superb. The attention to detail and to language, the development of characters, the fullness of their storylines - amazing. Baxter is the king of being able to define who a character is in one succinct sentence. While at times, the plot might seem light, you realize as you read on that everything that happens in the story creates ripples in someone else's storyline.
Then, you back away and look at the collection as a whole. The stories intersect, in time and in events. Moving easily back and forth, you see a character from this story pop up here, and then a character from that story pop up there. Just the way we do in life.
I fell in love with this collection and I forced myself to slow down while reading it. The excited reader in me wanted to stay awake all night and devour it. But I limited myself to two stories a day, so that I had time to mull them over before I moved on to the next one. I'm glad I did, because in my hurry, I might have missed something.
Some books are to be savored and admired. Savor this one. You're bound to admire it.
September 18, 2023
A stunning collection of interwoven stories, divisible by two, Virtues and Vices, medieval at that and yet ringing true now. Bravery, loyalty, chastity, charity and forbearance are followed by lust, sloth, avarice, gluttony and vanity. Often used ironically, the titles offer clues to character and theme.
I loved the Schwartz poem about Seurat's portrait of a Sunday afternoon along the Seine and how both poem and painting capture the structure of this anthology. Disparate elements unite in a textured and illuminating whole.
My favorites? "Bravery" in which key recurring characters are introduced as young people; "Chastity" in which the fine person of Benny is introduced, romanced and married-with-child as widower; "Avarice" which tells an entire family's shredded story; and "Gluttony" which finds the good doctor admirably and yet dishonorably facing up to demons external and within.
I love reading Lorrie Moore and Raymond Carver and Ron Rash and Charles Baxter - and so many other fine crafters of short stories. This collection is a gem.
I loved the Schwartz poem about Seurat's portrait of a Sunday afternoon along the Seine and how both poem and painting capture the structure of this anthology. Disparate elements unite in a textured and illuminating whole.
My favorites? "Bravery" in which key recurring characters are introduced as young people; "Chastity" in which the fine person of Benny is introduced, romanced and married-with-child as widower; "Avarice" which tells an entire family's shredded story; and "Gluttony" which finds the good doctor admirably and yet dishonorably facing up to demons external and within.
I love reading Lorrie Moore and Raymond Carver and Ron Rash and Charles Baxter - and so many other fine crafters of short stories. This collection is a gem.
April 29, 2015
A wonderful collection of ten interrelated stories, each involving one way or another, a character asking another the title question. They reappear in each other's stories, sometimes as main characters, sometimes as very minor ones, over a wide range of time and place, eventually forming a sort of loose community of people who have effects on each others' lives that they often don't even realize. Baxter's use of language is extremely precise, and he is a master at describing uncomfortable situations hovering between comedy and pain. The story titles are divided into Part One of virtues and Part Two of vices: Bravery, Loyalty, Chastity, Charity, Forbearance; followed by Lust, Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony, and Vanity. The exact reference of the title is not always immediately obvious, and Baxter is never overtly moralizing, as the titles might suggest. The book begs to be re-read several times in order to see all the reflections back and forth among the stories, even though each stands alone very well. A remarkable book.
December 27, 2017
I barely made it past the first page. The author is unkind, completely self-absorbed, and thinks he's clever. At a party, he'd be one of those people who only talks about himself, the kind that you'd avoid after enduring him once.
On the first page, he introduces Susan. "...her favorite trick involved riding in cars with at least two other girls. You needed a female cluster in there, and you needed to have the plainest one driving."
What a cruel idea! Can you imagine any women ever saying, "You're the ugliest of us. You get to drive." Good God.
Only a complete jerk of a man would think that women rank their friends by attractiveness. That's how THE AUTHOR thinks about women--HE ranks them by attractiveness, and he is blind to other ways of thinking.
Whereas I, a woman, would rate my friends based on who could come up with the snarkiest thing to say about the author at a party. What goes around comes around. Unkind people get unkind things said about them.
On the first page, he introduces Susan. "...her favorite trick involved riding in cars with at least two other girls. You needed a female cluster in there, and you needed to have the plainest one driving."
What a cruel idea! Can you imagine any women ever saying, "You're the ugliest of us. You get to drive." Good God.
Only a complete jerk of a man would think that women rank their friends by attractiveness. That's how THE AUTHOR thinks about women--HE ranks them by attractiveness, and he is blind to other ways of thinking.
Whereas I, a woman, would rate my friends based on who could come up with the snarkiest thing to say about the author at a party. What goes around comes around. Unkind people get unkind things said about them.
July 28, 2015
These stories were very well-written and held my interest, but left me unsatisfied. I REALLY like a plot in my stories. I like someone to be changed in some way. I like resolution of some kind. There's definitely interesting conflict in all of these stories. But it mostly remains unresolved or ambiguously resolved. It's hard to know what some of the characters want, or if they get it. That just leaves me disappointed. I realize that my view is not the popular one these days, especially among readers of literary fiction, but I just can't help it. I'm an old fashioned girl. For those who just want to read really good writing, I would highly recommend this book. But if you are like me and want clear motivations and tidily resolved conflict, probably best to select something else to read.
November 30, 2015
This was edging towards a 4.5 but there were a few stories that really lagged. Especially in part 2.I also was not a fan of Quinn's story, for some reason the dual POV sort of disrupted the story for me and it never regained its original ease.
However, overall, I was enchanted by the finesse Mr.Baxter has with writing. Every story had an interesting moral aspect and the characters were very multi-faceted. I think I liked the stories best when they didn't feel like they were trying to hard. This feels like an English AP type book- I enjoyed this immensely, but I feel like to get the full benefit I'd have to read it again and pick it apart in a classroom with like 20 other equally awed people. This book had sooo many hidden themes and symbols and basically I want to discuss this book for like 200 hours and write essays. I loved it.
However, overall, I was enchanted by the finesse Mr.Baxter has with writing. Every story had an interesting moral aspect and the characters were very multi-faceted. I think I liked the stories best when they didn't feel like they were trying to hard. This feels like an English AP type book- I enjoyed this immensely, but I feel like to get the full benefit I'd have to read it again and pick it apart in a classroom with like 20 other equally awed people. This book had sooo many hidden themes and symbols and basically I want to discuss this book for like 200 hours and write essays. I loved it.
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