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The Long and Short of It
Book by Painter, Pamela
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
202 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 6, 2007
This is one of the best books of short fiction I've read in a long time, and I've learned a lot about the genre by reading it. Painter's brief (sometimes very brief) glimpses into the lives of random people are honest, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking--but always unflinching and true.
What she accomplishes in two pages astounds me.
What she accomplishes in two pages astounds me.
April 17, 2023
Published in 1999, "The Long and Short of It," by Pamela Painter, is a collection of literary flash fiction stories, most of them centered on the lives of the white middle class.
There's a lot to enjoy in this collection. As an example of Painter's prose, here is the opening paragraph of "dangerous waters," the story that kicks off Part Three of the book:
"Most of what is being decided this evening happens beneath the tablecloth. One white orchid in a low vase, four glasses of amber sherry and tulips of white wine, your silver cigarette case -- all seem a subterfuge for the closeness of Lilian's knee to yours, the proximity of her long silk skirt to the stripe of your tux. She wears the pearls you remember. As her pale silver skirt whispers against you, perhaps charmeuse, you imagine wings folding, hear the hum of bees." (pg 131)
Pam Painter is a writer's writer, that's for sure.
I recently caught an interview with her on YouTube, in which she reads aloud "the bridge" from this work.
My favorite piece in this book is the final story, "the second night of a one night stand," which ends with these lines, as Ben [the husband] is being imagined by Margo [the wife] as she contemplates returning home to her cheating husband, after having spent a summer 'getting back' at him with her own affair, and she imagines her children telling him about the beach stones they have painted, one of which was perfectly shaped like a heart:
"'The heart,' Polly will say, sifting frantically through the paper, telling him about the perfect heart. She'll describe finding it on the beach and giving it to Margo. Sam will point to his scarlet fire engine to show Ben the exact color that Margo chose for it.
Still hoping, Ben will pile the last of the crumpled newspapers on the table. He will look for the heart in the bottom of the box and then he will turn to her. Sam and Polly will both cry, 'Mom, where is the heart?' Finally, Ben will understand, he'll know she didn't bring it home."
Simply gorgeous, and it packs such a punch.
Some of these stories get pretty dark. One story, "twins," is so grim that I had to put the book down for a while.
But the vast majority of these stories are about common moments in life observed carefully, with a writer's eye for detail and sharp turns of phrase.
I'd recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys short stories, flash fiction, and literary prose.
Four stars.
There's a lot to enjoy in this collection. As an example of Painter's prose, here is the opening paragraph of "dangerous waters," the story that kicks off Part Three of the book:
"Most of what is being decided this evening happens beneath the tablecloth. One white orchid in a low vase, four glasses of amber sherry and tulips of white wine, your silver cigarette case -- all seem a subterfuge for the closeness of Lilian's knee to yours, the proximity of her long silk skirt to the stripe of your tux. She wears the pearls you remember. As her pale silver skirt whispers against you, perhaps charmeuse, you imagine wings folding, hear the hum of bees." (pg 131)
Pam Painter is a writer's writer, that's for sure.
I recently caught an interview with her on YouTube, in which she reads aloud "the bridge" from this work.
My favorite piece in this book is the final story, "the second night of a one night stand," which ends with these lines, as Ben [the husband] is being imagined by Margo [the wife] as she contemplates returning home to her cheating husband, after having spent a summer 'getting back' at him with her own affair, and she imagines her children telling him about the beach stones they have painted, one of which was perfectly shaped like a heart:
"'The heart,' Polly will say, sifting frantically through the paper, telling him about the perfect heart. She'll describe finding it on the beach and giving it to Margo. Sam will point to his scarlet fire engine to show Ben the exact color that Margo chose for it.
Still hoping, Ben will pile the last of the crumpled newspapers on the table. He will look for the heart in the bottom of the box and then he will turn to her. Sam and Polly will both cry, 'Mom, where is the heart?' Finally, Ben will understand, he'll know she didn't bring it home."
Simply gorgeous, and it packs such a punch.
Some of these stories get pretty dark. One story, "twins," is so grim that I had to put the book down for a while.
But the vast majority of these stories are about common moments in life observed carefully, with a writer's eye for detail and sharp turns of phrase.
I'd recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys short stories, flash fiction, and literary prose.
Four stars.
September 17, 2025
I'm not a big fan of short stories in general, and I've grown to like them less and less over the years as I've read different collections with too much "experimental fiction." This collection has a lot of flash fiction, very short stories, bare bones stories, but I want a story I can sink my teeth into, settle into for a while. It's why I prefer longer fiction. Most of these I found too spare, and unsatisfying, although the author does know how to wrap up nicely.
Funnily, the story I enjoyed the most was the last and longest (24 pages) in the collection: "The Second Night of a One Night Stand." It tells of a wife, Margo, who goes to her summer cottage with the kids to escape and mull over her marriage to Ben, a serial cheater. She thinks she may want to divorce him. She meets up with her favorite cousin, Donna, and they take turns babysitting for each other. Margo frequents a local bar and sets out to have her own affair, or rather a string of affairs, so she can throw it in her husband's face when she returns home. Life doesn't always work so neatly, of course, and I loved the direction that the author took with this story.
Funnily, the story I enjoyed the most was the last and longest (24 pages) in the collection: "The Second Night of a One Night Stand." It tells of a wife, Margo, who goes to her summer cottage with the kids to escape and mull over her marriage to Ben, a serial cheater. She thinks she may want to divorce him. She meets up with her favorite cousin, Donna, and they take turns babysitting for each other. Margo frequents a local bar and sets out to have her own affair, or rather a string of affairs, so she can throw it in her husband's face when she returns home. Life doesn't always work so neatly, of course, and I loved the direction that the author took with this story.
January 20, 2012
In the spirit of Pamela Painter's wondrously compressed stories, here's my review in its entirety: I wanted more.
February 1, 2016
Not a real big fan of short stories. They always leave me feeling a little less than satisfied. This is a pretty good grouping of short stories some very short, witty and creative.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews