Iris Smyles

There's a funny collage on the cover of this book - two Victorian figures with the heads of African (perhaps) masks that look like they're old photos from a museum collection. A juxtaposition of manners and colonialism on a red settee with a background of airplane safety manuals and images of exotic cities. I'm not sure the cover is trying to say anything, but it knocks you off your guard just a little, which may be good preparation for what comes next.

The contents of Droll Tales sway back and forth between little vignettes and exercises (ie., a "Glossary of terms not found in this book" and a poem that I tried to read and skipped until just now when I realize that it's a translation of Stephane Mallarme's 'The Azure"... into pig Latin) and long meandering stories that mostly feature some number of women named Iris Smyles (perhaps the same one at different times, or different ones at the same time) and at least three Jacobs (all different). Most of these Iris'/Jacobs are recently freed grad students in New York City trying to (or putting off trying to) find their feet, except for one Iris who has just transferred from dirigible to Nile cruise ship on the run from her ex, and a Jacob who recently met a piece of granite who tried to sell him his sister/countertop. If you forced me to pare down my word count, then I might say half of these stories would fit very well into The New Yorker, and the other half would play very well in McSweeny's Internet Tendency. And indeed, Smyles has already published in both.

If there was one overarching theme, I think it would have to be (besides Proust) how love and art make us think and feel. Every character is very erudite where appropriate, and very stupid where not. And for the references that go over even our heads, well, the last page advertises the extensive notes and ruminations that can be found on the author's website. Most are very content with the fact that their creator has dropped them into an almost fully surreal world, and though the humor may not have often made me laugh-out-loud often, I certainly felt tickled in that part of me that for a time wished to be as well-read and listless as these students and chefs and the contestants on "Exquisite Bachelor" where, "Twenty Five surrealists and a Texan named Fred," live together in a Hollywood house competing for the love of an aspiring dental hygienist from North Dakota (get ready for the most Dramatic season yet!). The tone is very reminiscent of A Confederacy of Dunces, but I think what I was most reminded of are the novels of Eric Kraft - nearly-autobiographical stories except for all the made up bits, blending into memories and dreams and expressionistic instructions for flat-pack furniture. I have neglected to read up on Smyles previous work, but I get the feeling she plys her trade in similar waters.

Long story short, the opening major story about a woman becoming a human statue blew me away, and I spent the next 80 pages trying to find my footing. But I am glad I did. My only concern now is I can't remember if the final line of the book is referencing something that happened before, or a point completely new. I guess I'll have to come back someday and find out...

I was provided this book by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer Program. My investment was nothing but time, so I hope you find my opinions honest.… (altro)

Taking a break in the middle of one story, I thought, “I’m not sure what I just read…but I like it.”

Putting the book down after finishing another story I thought, “Well, that was interesting…but pretentious.” Then realized that what was (or who were) pretentious were the characters in the book.

And, at almost every break in reading, I wanted to go back and read more. I was enjoying the experience this book was giving me.

Therein lie the thoughts that went through my head as I read the surreal stories (sometimes not really stories) in this collection.

It is a mélange of weird, interesting, impenetrable, wacky, engrossing stories that defy definition. Oh, any one of them might be defined, but each story within the collection shines an interesting light on the others. Meaning that, as a whole, it is almost impossible to pigeonhole what is being read. A majority of the stories seem to deal with the struggles of young (young to me) people getting through life. But, as already noted, they have a surreal quality that stems from a sometimes stream-of-consciousness approach and narratives that allow funny sidetracks and bizarre observations.

Yes, I laughed at points. And, yes, I found myself reading to find what came next. Because, surprisingly, the stories drew me into the narrative. I say surprisingly because these types of stories, the ones that, as already noted, wander into heavily surrealistic territories, often dive so deep the thread disappears. But that thread continues in these stories, and I wanted to read more.

Of course, I haven’t even addressed the short pieces that include things like fortunes from fortune cookies, a story in pig Latin, and a set of diagrammed sentences. The book even starts with a glossary of terms not found in the book. Just like the full pieces, these can be funny, insightful, and interesting all at the same time.

To go into individual stories is a fool’s game. The plots actually defy description. And this is a good thing. I’ll only note that, as I go through the table of contents, I fondly remember “The Two Jacobs, with an introduction by a Third”, “Veterans of Future Wars”, “Philip and Penelope in a Variety of Tenses”, and “My Ex-Boyfriend.”

Yes, I wasn’t always sure what I was reading. And, yes, sometimes I couldn’t tell if the writing was pretentious or just the characters. But, when all was said and done, I enjoyed the book. And, if you are willing to take a chance, you might enjoy it, too.… (altro)

It's been quite a bit since I've read anything as original and strange as Iris Smyles's Droll Tales, a loosely connected collection of stories, exercises, and pieces of writing that have a unique point of view. Surrealistic stories following young people in New York City; a ballerina turned stewardess who poses as a living statue in the cities she flies to; a story told through a fifth-grader's sentence diagramming assignment; translations of poems in pig latin. I've been out of grad school for too long to "get" a lot of these stories, but I enjoyed them nonetheless as this book challenged me in ways that most of the books I pick up lately do not.… (altro)