First: a
confession. Back in 1986, or
thereabouts. I learned of a lecture by Ann Beattie—at the time my number two
most favorite writer—at Rutgers-Camden.
I tried to get a ticket, but found it was sold out. So I devised a plan to see her before the
lecture. I convinced a guard I was a
stringer for a local paper in Philly who wanted to snag a few comments before
her talk. I had three of Beattie’s books
with me, and after asking a few questions, I took the books out of a bag and
asked her to inscribe them. She
graciously signed all three. I did write
a brief article, and I did send it to the paper, but it was never printed. I resolved to tell her in person if I ever
met up with her. This might be as close
as I get.
Ann Beattie has been
included in four O. Henry Award collections, John Updike’s Best American Short Stories of the Century and Jennifer Egan’s Best Short Stories of 2014. She has also captured numerous other
awards. Her latest book, The Accomplished Guest is a collection
of short stories with a variety of themes, voices, and situations.
Some of these
visitors had interesting experiences getting to their destination. In “The Indian Uprising,” Beattie wrote, “I
took the train. It wasn’t difficult. I got a ride with a friend to some branch of
the Metro going into Washington and rode into Union Station. Then I walked forever down the train track to
a car someone finally let me on. I felt
like an ant that had walked the length of a caterpillar’s body and ended up at
its anus. I sat across from a mother with
a small son whose head she abused any time she got bored looking out the
window: swatting it with plush toys; rearranging his curls; inspecting him for
nits” (4-5). One of the most appealing
traits of a Beattie story is the attention to details. Readers can easily place themselves in the
train.
In “The Astonished
Woodchopper,” Beattie explores those ubiquitous “little white lies” we all
tell. She writes, “John had asked Jen
not to tell Bee the details of his surgery, but of course she had—no doubt also
cautioning Bee to lie if he asked her directly what she knew. White lies: as prevalent in this family as
white noise on the highway that drifted across the meadow toward their
house. He had wanted a more secluded
house; Jen had said she like to be nearer to what she called ‘civilization’—the
same environment she now damned as being filled with ‘idiot tourists and
Maine-iacs in their tortoise shell SUVs, driving lunatics because they can
imagine because they can’t imagine they go belly-up.’ Just the week before, a man had died, not at
all protected by his SUV as it rolled” (51).
These stories have
lots of fun and page upon page of humor.
I really think Ann Beattie is an author who deserves much more
attention. The Accomplished Guest is a grand beginning for many years of
reading pleasure. 5 Stars
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