Dan Rhodes

One of those books that's not really about plot (there are essentially two events) but rather about character and atmosphere and getting to know other people ... and perhaps the limits of our ability ever to do that. Lovely writing, slow, gently building up our understanding of the characters, and then on the final page, after what feels like catharsis and closure, a single paragraph of four lines that's so subtle in its connotations as to make you go, "Oh no! ... does that mean ...?"
Miyuki, show more bless you. show less

One hundred one short stories, each one hundred one words long, all in the first person with a narrator and his girlfriend. Collectively they amount to an anthropology of modern relationships, capturing the full range of emotions from funny to romantic to sad. But as the stories progress they are increasingly bizarre, dark, and off centered, a trajectory that is mirrored in the increasingly bizarrely named girlfriends.

I read a few stories a day, each one takes less than a minute and reads show more like a prose poem, and I plan to dip into them again in the future. show less

I tend to be fairly wordy, which is a serious handicap in our 140 character world. When I come across someone who can, unlike me, convey a world in very few words, I am impressed and a little awed. Dan Rhodes' newest story collection, Marry Me, is comprised of very brief flash fiction pieces, many of which contain a universe in their short paragraph(s).

Ranging from a paragraph in length to a couple of pages, each story is fully self contained. Thematically, they are all similar, focusing on show more relationship, engagements, weddings, marriage, and divorce. Rhodes doesn't present the hearts and flowers version of any of this. Instead he cheerfully skewers each in turn. And rather than containing raptures, his brief flashes are composed of wry observations, cynical black humor, and casual uneasiness. They make a pretty forceful statement about the ridiculous expectations we put on the trappings of marriage (both prior to and afterwards) and the way in which society has caused us to look for the unrealistic in our relationship lives and loves.

This is not a collection celebrating marriage or love by any stretch of the imagination but it is hilarious. I did truly laugh out loud as I read it. I also snorted derisively. And I shook my head in disgust. The stories are quirky, sarcastic, and even farcical. They chronicle an awful lot of unhappiness, acceptance of the mediocre, and the way in which we treat marriage as disposable. Because the short collection of 80 stories revolves around the same theme, some of the stories feel repetitious and it is a bit odd that there's no alternate vision of marriage offered as a counterbalance but over all, as a collection, this is a fantastic read. It can easily be read in one sitting but is perhaps best dipped into to maintain the impact of the stories individually. show less

A book about the dark side of life and love, very well written. Once I started in it I didn't put it down until I'd finished it. Rhodes has a way of creating a world where you want to linger a bit longer after the book ends.
The stories of the people who the dog Timoleon Vieta meets on his journey are all tragic and comic at the same time. We are given mere glimpses into the lives of the people in the stories, I felt nearly all of them merited a book of their own. I wish this book would have show more been longer.
There was a happy ending for the master of the dog, who didn't deserve it, but not the dog itself, who did. This was in keeping with the rest of the book as I found myself thinking : That's life ! Certainly life in this book but also very much what I expect to happen in real life.

I plan to read more books by this author. show less