The Disappeared: Stories

There was also, that spring, the sensation of getting older. It was right there in the mirror, of course, but it was also in other places--the supermarket, where I walked among young people without any of them ever looking up to notice me. It was in the absence of this acknowledgement, I think, that I felt the greatest sadness. It was the reality of being unseen, of walking through life as a ghost.

In this excellent collection, men, usually in their early forties, usually living in Austin, but also sometimes in San Antonio, wrestle with aging and the pressure to have figured things out by now. They work, if they are employed, as adjuncts or in some administrative job at the university, still sort of working on that project, or carefully show more avoiding recognizing that they've abandoned that film/artwork. You'd think a short story collection in which the protagonist could almost be the same guy would end up being boring or repetitive, but Porter's writing is so good and this everyman character he's playing with is a guy we all know and he's kind of likeable. Each story captures something about the human condition, while also being specifically anchored in a specific time and place. It's all a little reminiscent of Cheever while being entirely its own thing. show less

This is a fine collection of short stories. Written in lucid, unadorned prose, there is a sameness to the narratives, which appears to be intentional. All are written in the first person voice of a man in early middle age, confronting the losses of youthful dreams and identity, friendships, and relationships. Similar details and patterns crop up in many stories, linking them, and giving the impression that they’re really about one man trying on several lives. The characters are often university sessional instructors or have work related to the arts. A few are unemployed and directionless. Most struck me as quite passive. There are many couples presented, and, the men, for the most part, appear to be strangely incurious, sometimes show more frankly obtuse, about what is going on in their female partners’ minds. There’s a lot of wine drinking, cigarette smoking, succulent gardens, art, and Mexican food (all but one story are set in San Antonio or Austin, Texas). A sense of anxiety and vague foreboding pervades many of the narratives.

I appreciate Porter’s clear writing. No pretentiousness here. The prose does not obfuscate but allows one to enter the situations of his characters. I hope to read more by this author. show less

These short stories are exceptional. They are masterfully written by an author with an extraordinary power to evoke very particular emotions. I was very impressed.
All the stories are woven around the common theme of disappearance, whether it's a person, a feeling, a quality of something etc. The stories are told from the first-person perspective of a man in his late thirties/forties. This made me feel as if all the stories were told by the same narrator, living different lives - and by the end of the book, he feels like an old friend.
Many characters are related to art and academia, in precarious jobs etc., questioning their life choices and unfulfilled potential. There is a great sense in these stories of how disorienting the loss of show more the familiar can be. I found the book very intimate, somewhat confessional and relatable. A rare treat. show less

Exceptional collection,every story is a gem.