Brain Pain discussion

This discussion covers The Visible Spectrum

I, once upon a time, read "The Story of the Dying Lungs" in isolation, and didn't really like it much. Within context, it's better. It shouldn't be asked to stand as a particularly poignant or complete work in itself. Here it's a part of the machine of the hospital.

Which is not to say I love this. "The Visible Spectrum" in itself is also somewhat... unsatisfactory? I'm hoping that the greater context of the complete work will improve my impression of it. Or it may turn out to be my first lukewarm reaction to a Vollmann book (besides that one about Fukushima which was pretty forgettable, but it was a commissioned work and a non-fiction work, with perhaps less ambitious literary goals).

Zadignose wrote: "I, once upon a time, read "The Story of the Dying Lungs" in isolation, and didn't really like it much. Within context, it's better. It shouldn't be asked to stand as a particularly poignant or comp..."

Like most story collections, there are gems and duds. This first story was okay, but dragged a bit longer than it needed to.