A Kind of Flying

I've read a lot of single-author short story collections, and, as with almost any collection, the good ones have their 'wow' moments and their 'meh' moments. Carlson's "A Kind of Flying" is by far the most consistently strong collection of shorts I've read. I'd mark a dozen or so of the entries 'exceptional', and I there's not a single entry that I did not enjoy. Carlson seems quite comfortable in his own skin, and manages to give the sense that he's writing about what he knows, even when he's telling how "Bigfoot Stole My Wife".

Os.

After reading a couple of Carlson's novels, I wanted to read more of him but I still hesitated before getting this book. Short stories, no matter how well-written, are harder for me to dive into than novels. Reading this collection made me realize why: in many short stories, by the time I figure out who the character truly is and what their motivation is, I've reached the climax of the story and it's a few more pages and on to the next one.

These stories are different. Almost every one of them feels like the guy next door (even when the guy next door happens to be Bigfoot, or in a couple of case is the guy next door's wife) started a conversation with you over the side fence. By the end of the first paragraph you know these folks, and show more you know their story will take you somewhere you'll remember. From the baseball player who can't lose (Sunny Billy Day) to the man traveling to Alaska in search of a connection with the son he lost years before he died (Blazo); from men aching to become fathers (Life Before Science) or trying to re-establish relations with their wives amid young parenthood (Plan B for the Middle Class), to women struggling with the process of letting go of their teenaged sons (The Status Quo, The Summer of Vintage Clothing)--Carlson brings these characters to life and lets us ride along with them for a while. It's well worth the trip. show less

Carlson writes from a decidedly masculine perspective. That's not generally my thing, but some of these stories are really lovely, and "What We Wanted to Do" is one of my all-time favorite shorts.

Carlson's collection that spans tales of early marriage and fatherhood, and then some. He's got a direct, strong, homey voice for his narrators most of the time, and the reader likes the characters (or at least this one does) although they sometimes do terrible things. He also has a penchant for the odd situation, the quick, short narrative that is more of a character sketch. So many echoes of Doug in this work!

an awesome book, full of wonderfully weird short stories, will definitely keep this copy for my book collection, loved the style