Acts of God

Ellen Gilchrist has long been considered one of our finest short story writers. And “Acts of God,” her latest story collection, is sure to reinforce her reputation and assure fans that Gilchrist is still very much at the top of her game. The characters in all ten of the book’s stories experience “acts of God” that will forever change – or, perhaps, end - their lives. Whether they suffer hurricane, tornado, flood, terrorist attack, or simply a new neighbor whose dogs never seem to stop barking, most of them manage to benefit from the experience. In fact, even those who die, do so on their own terms.

Two stories, “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” and “The Dogs,” are particularly outstanding in the way they display the show more author’s wit and insight into the culture and gentry of the old South. Gilchrist is herself a product of the Mississippi Delta, and she knows her people well. “Toccata” tells of three middle-aged Vanderbilt sorority sisters traveling together to Italy for a much anticipated reunion. Comfortably settled in one of Heathrow’s first class lounges while waiting for their final flight connection, the women are suddenly caught up in an airport lockdown that threatens to scuttle their plans. The conversations between themselves and their fellow travelers are brilliant in the ease with which Gilchrist manages to fully develop so many characters in a handful of pages.

“The Dogs” is told through a series of letters exchanged by a writer and her neighbor whose constantly-barking dogs make it impossible for the writer to work at home. As things between the two escalate, there are letters to and from the writer, her attorney, other neighbors, and the dog owner. The unexpected resolution of the story involves a lesson about shifting alliances that is both funny and ironic. Other favorites of mine include the title story about an elderly couple that escapes their “sitter” for one final day of independence and another titled “Miracle in Adkins, Arkansas” that recounts the day that a tornado positively changes the life of a 16-year-old girl forever.

Ellen Gilchrist’s characters, be they witty, irritating, or sentimental ones, are always memorable, and the stories in “Acts of God” offer just such a cast. They, along with Gilchrist’s remarkable sense of time and place, assure that this collection will be appreciated by her fans. show less

Yet another fantabulous collection of Gilchrist short stories, including a delicious epistolary one featuring Rhoda that had me snorting in shul this morning. Gilchrist is the only writer I know who can make an act of suicide say something about living. Love, love, love and live.

This is the first book I have read by Ellen Gilchrist. Each story drew me in immediately and made me want to know what happened to the characters. Each is affected in some way by something beyond their control. I particularly enjoyed the story "Collateral" where a woman, Carly, takes two weeks off from her life to serve as a first responder to rescue people caught in the New Orleans hurricane disaster. The story isn't so much about the rescue mission but more about how Carly makes changes in her life and takes a chance on a new relationship.

I felt the story "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" was less successful, with stilted dialogue and less appealing characters, making me lose interest halfway through. However, I took a break and came show more back to it later.

Overall, the collection is very interesting with surprises throughout the stories, and a hopeful attitude toward life in all of its complexities, providing thoughts to mull over and reflect upon. It is perhaps better not to read it all in one sitting, but to come to each story in a fresh way. show less

It's hard to characterize these stories without seeming to be disparaging them. The words that kept coming into my mind while reading them were "simple" and "plain", both of which can be used dismissively, but absolutely not in this case. I suppose what I mean is that these stories are genuine - the people within act without irony or duplicity. There's nothing postmodern here. It's refreshing to read something of this sort when it seems so many writers now use tricks or traps or non-standard story-telling measures. Like drinking a cool glass of water.

Some of the stories are slightly entwined - a character mentioned in one story becomes a secondary character in another and is related to a character in a third. It's fun to piece together show more all the strings while reading.

I'd never read nor heard of Ellen Gilchrist before - perhaps because she writes of the southern United States and I'm in Canada, but this collection of stories piqued my interest in going through her back catalogue. show less

I wanted to love this book, and I can see exactly why Ms. Gilchrist is considered a gifted short-story writer. Her characters come alive with swift, deft strokes, and her settings are equally well-managed. The ten stories in Acts of God feature "ordinary" people confronting extraordinary situations -- a tornado, a terrorist attack, the aftermath of a hurricane. Her characters are flawed, but she treats them gently, without losing sight of the greater (social) picture.

That said, these stories simply didn't appeal to me, which is, I think, merely a reflection of my tastes, and should not reflect negatively on Ms. Gilchrist's talents.

I'm a big fan of Ellen Gilchrist; I've read and I ow all her books, except 'Anabasis,' now out of print. I love her eccentric Southerners, their family entanglements, connections and obsessions. That said, this was not my favorite collection of her stories. I did love the Rhoda story, as I think that Rhoda Manning as an older lady is much more fun than Rhoda in her youth, when she was concerned about what other people and her daddy thought of her. If you had never met Rhoda before, though, I don't know if the reader would get it. I also enjoyed the story of the exemplary National Guard woman who worked on a rescue helicopter during Katrina, and whose life takes a dramatic turn for the better on her return. Chance encounters change lives show more and women show their courage in Gilchrist's stories. Those are the themes she returns to over and over, with varying success. show less

I have been a fan of Ellen Gilchrist's for many years and when I saw this new collection of short stories, I was very much looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong. There are some great moments in Acts of God, but there are also stories that cover so much ground chronologically and don't envelop the reader because it seems as if the theme or the idea is more important than the characters' relationships to them.

Most of the stories are about upheaval or disasters and human reaction to them. Perhaps the best is the one in which a young woman who is in the Air National Guard is called to New Orleans to rescue people from roofs after Katrina. This is one of the few stories in which a virtuous act is show more not cushioned by selfishness or self-absorption, but one in which the character reacts to horrors and the small miracles and feels changed and is changed.

Perhaps a couple of the other stories ring true simply because the characters are materialistic and self-absorbed and view an extraordinary situation from the viewpoint of what they can get from it or what it will make them into. There is some heavy-handedness with what I consider to be preachiness and I am not certain that it's Gilchrist's intent for that to be unleashed upon the reader (because I am giving her the benefit of the doubt), but then again, it's been years since I have read any of her work and maybe what I once overlooked is now an elephant. show less