Testimony and Demeanor

by John Casey

A young intellectual is called into active duty and receives a rude awakening to the realities of military service. An Ivy League graduate is pressed casually into Intelligence work and encounters himself mirrored in his new-found friend--a Russian spy. An arrogant professor finds himself unable to resist the unschooled energy of a spunky female student. A lonely apprentice at a New York law firm is flattered by the attentions of two mentors--one a senior partner, the other an enchantingly extravagant woman--whose sophistication make his own naivety painfully apparent. Each story in this luminous quartet explorers an emotional turning-point, either toward or away from self-knowledge--that moment when a young man of privilege suddenly finds his carefully nurtured superiority crumbling. In Casey’s beautiful prose, the experiences of these solitary narrators resonate with remarkable power.

Genres: Short Stories

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 12, 1979

About the author

John Dudley Casey was an American novelist and translator. He won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction in 1989 for Spartina.

Reviews

[Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of four short stories is expertly written but lacks feeling or focus. As you read you're like "okay, this is interesting" and after 20 or so pages it ends without any particular message, statement, or conclusion. They're solely character studies of characters in the mid 20th century, so from a historical point of view, I guess they're effective, but I wouldn't recommend them to anyone in particular.

[John D. Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book contains 4 short stories from the 1970s. The title story is by far the best, but they are all elegantly written.

[Edie Millar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not impressed with these short stories. Liked the work of William Styron (A Tidewater Morning) and Amor Towles (Table for Two) much better. The story "Connaissance des Arts" was the best, but not that satisfying.

[Tim Nason · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️ Wonderfully rich prose.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it despite never feeling anything for any of the protagonists. I felt nothing for them, no interest for them; in fact, I found them annoying. Yet the writing kept me and enveloped me. Mr. Casey has an extraordinary ability to craft his thoughts into words but it's some of his thoughts that were not all that enticing. Nonetheless, throughout the four stories, Casey's writing is alluring, singular, textured and poking. My favorite story was that of the young lawyer; second, the naive Army enlistee.

[Garlan ✌ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of four stories by Casey. They read kind of slowly at first, but the further I got into the book, the more I enjoyed the style and prose. Very literary and academic; not at all like Spartina (which I also liked immensely). The last two stories (more like novellas) really made the collection. I only gave it 4 stars, but I still highly recommend this book to anyone interested in really good literature. The prose may not be for everyone though.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Voice, emotion, fluidity in story structure without ever being formula, canned or overly crafted. What a beautiful natural voice, that doesn't fit into any "short story" style I am aware of. You want to say "original" and yet the stories are crafted so that they seem not to have been crafted, as if there is no other way they could be told -- as if form is formless, style is invisible and pure.

[Mary Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this short story collection, especially the novella, "Connaissance des Arts" and the title story "Testimony and Demeanor". I loved the thematic connection of the four protagonists, all young men reaching a poignant moment of maturity. Casey's writing is delightful.

[Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The two longer ones are particularly good. The main characters are fully realized and believable, and you're drawn into their dilemmas.