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What a Piece of Work: Stories
Book by Baker, Will
185 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
About the author
Will Baker
32 books4 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 11, 2020
This collection is notable for its impressive range of narrative voices, and for its original and engaging prose style.
Will Baker wrote non-fiction, literary novels & short stories, and science fiction –– his first published work was about the syntax of English poetry –– and the range of his interests shows in these stories. The themes still feel current (he's called "a quietly lethal satirist of popular culture" in one review), and the stories feel like they would fit in at a literary magazine or journal today. They feel of apiece with the best current fiction writing. The New York Times Book Review said "each story has its own pace and tension as well as voice...[but] they all grab and hold the reader."
Some high points: "Stealing Home," in which the ending (like all the best endings) feels surprising yet inevitable; "GorePac," which seems to anticipate George Saunders; the description of a smile, "from long, long ago – from the slime, you could say...the expression of a thing that has dragged another thing into its hole to feed on"; a bulldozer swallowed by the mud "turning over ever so slowly, and over, in a dense and utter darkness."
Will Baker wrote non-fiction, literary novels & short stories, and science fiction –– his first published work was about the syntax of English poetry –– and the range of his interests shows in these stories. The themes still feel current (he's called "a quietly lethal satirist of popular culture" in one review), and the stories feel like they would fit in at a literary magazine or journal today. They feel of apiece with the best current fiction writing. The New York Times Book Review said "each story has its own pace and tension as well as voice...[but] they all grab and hold the reader."
Some high points: "Stealing Home," in which the ending (like all the best endings) feels surprising yet inevitable; "GorePac," which seems to anticipate George Saunders; the description of a smile, "from long, long ago – from the slime, you could say...the expression of a thing that has dragged another thing into its hole to feed on"; a bulldozer swallowed by the mud "turning over ever so slowly, and over, in a dense and utter darkness."
July 10, 2017
I was disappointed in these short stories, which surprised me because this author's nonfiction collection of essays in Mountain Blood was so, so much better, just beautifully written. I can only conclude that Baker's talent shines best in the genre of nonfiction, where the stories he tells are embellished and artfully arranged but based on truths close to his heart. So skip this collection of short stories and go straight to Mountain Blood, where you will be richly rewarded.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews