Here at Transmission we read an awful lot of books - more books than we can review on the pages of our magazine. So we had the idea of sharing our thoughts on this blog - extra reviews for those of you who are hungry to find new authors, or if you are too wary to trust those hacks on Amazon! The first review is from our out-of-print Transmission #04:
The Dog of the Marriage by Amy Hempel
Scribner Book Company, £11.50 ($20)
Like most delicacies the work of Amy Hempel is very hard to find. Her early collections of short stories, Reasons to Live and At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom, are out of print and the others, this included, are only available in America. However, if the time is taken to search for these books, the rewards are great.
The Dog of the Marriage is only Hempel’s forth collection of short stories in twenty years, but she has lost none of her talent in this time. The book is slightly different in tone from her previous work, memory and age playing a more central thematic role, but the stories are still delicately structured and fresh in their simplicity.
Tone and meaning are more powerful than plot in Hempel’s world, and the first story, “Beach Town”, describes the deterioration of a marriage from the point of view of a next door neighbour. The back garden, from which the narrator witnesses an infidelity, is a microcosm, the plants telling of neglect and decline, but also of growth and hope. This is typical of Hempel. Every word in the story serves to enhance, not to fill gaps. Everything is a clue to a greater meaning.
As well as this almost allegorical side to the stories, there is always a stunning wit. Hempel manages to describe bleak situations (death, rape and divorce, for example) in a way that does not alienate the reader. In “Reference #388475848-5”, the mundane act of receiving a parking ticket allows the narrator to dissect the meaning of a near-mugging. From the incident itself to her actions afterwards, the story moves effortlessly from shock to humour in the space of a paragraph.
Perhaps what is most striking about these stories is the fact that there are no boundaries imposed by the author’s experiences. A wide range of people can empathise with the narrators and, although Hempel shows tenderness and compassion towards her subjects, the writing is never trite or sentimental. The reader is welcomed into the stories and develops a very comfortable understanding and trust.
It remains a mystery as to why British publishers have never found a place for Amy Hempel’s fragile prose, and it is a great shame that it is not more widely available. However, it is debatable that the intimacy and emotion of these stories would suit a large audience. The Dog of the Marriage is a private, passionate joy.
Review by Graham Foster