The One That Got Away

Today I finished a collection of short stories by Zoe Wicomb, The One That Got Away. I chose the book because the author came recommended to me in a conversation after I revealed that some of my sabbatical reading would involve South African authors. I think I've mentioned that before. In short, as an attempt to expand my reading horizons but also constrain my choices, I chose connections to South Africa as a way to build up my reading list with non-ministry and non-theological offerings.

So, this collection is a set of interconnected short stories. They don't tell a unified narrative, rather we get to know the characters through a number of episodes. Excepting two stories, I'm not enthusiastic. Perhaps I've lost my taste for the short story form, which would be a sad thing and it's what I thought at first. But upon further reflection I realize I simply found it very difficult to connect to this round of characters and stories. Why should that be, two things:

For my taste, the narrative voice was too detached. It seemed to me very little invested in the characters themselves, and so I was led to that same place of distant observation. I don't like to read that way.

Second, I've wondered if I worked hard enough to appreciate the setting and world view of stories informed by an unfamiliar culture and history. This will only be settled for me as I read more of my South African block of reading. Perhaps I'll come back to these with greater appreciation later? Maybe not.