I thoroughly enjoyed Self-Help as it was a refreshing break from the conventional third person as well as the male-dominated perspective that we've experienced in the first three books we've read. Here are some of my thoughts on the book as a whole and as individual stories.
Like many people in our class, I really enjoyed the second-person narrative. It was something that I hadn't experienced much before and I thought Moore used it very well. Though a lot of people said they often didn't notice the use of it, I was very aware of it. Unlike the traditional "choose your own adventure" type of story, Moore puts you in the bodies of her characters as if you're just along for the ride. I guess this makes the narrative voice less noticeable but for some reason it was unmissable to me.
The level of detail in each story was striking. There's so much of it that Moore must be writing from personal experience. Another indication of this is the reoccurring premises of dysfunctional romantic and maternal relationships. It's safe to assume she's dealt with these issues herself.
"How to Become a Writer" is probably my favorite story from Self-Help for two reasons: it's hilarious and it's the only story not about inattentive partners or ailing mothers. One of the funniest parts of the story was the way Francie always randomly killed off her characters in every story. No matter what direction she got from her peers or teacher, she could not resist writing bizarre death stories.
Write a short story about an elderly man and woman who accidentally shoot each other in the head, the result of an inexplicable malfunction of a shotgun which appears mysteriously in their living room one night.
Turn in a story [...] about two old people who are accidentally electrocuted when they go to turn on a badly wired desk lamp.
Write another story about a man and a woman who, in the very first paragraph, have their lower torsos accidentally blitzed away by dynamite.
"To Fill" was my second favorite story. Though it involves both a dysfunctional marriage and mother-daughter relationship, the plot wasn't the stereotypical husband cheats & wife puts up with it cliche. You can really feel Riva's growing anxiety/insanity in the narrative voice and the theme of control/possession is incorporated very well. There's great humor in this one too.
And then the prince took Sleeping Beauty in his arms and said: Let us be married, fair lady, and we shall live happily ever after or until the AFC championship games, whichever comes first.
Do I grow slinky? I think of carrot sticks and ice and follow Jeffrey's lead. I am snapping my fingers, wiggling, bumping, grinding. Mom, giggles Jeffrey. That's too kinky. And later, alone, the night outside grows inky, like my thoughts, my thoughts. I am dying for a Twinkie.
Well, Tom, Sergeant, babydollbaby. Do I get into a prone position? A provolone position? I lumber into bed like a mammoth cheese.
I really enjoyed Self Help too. The second person narration was completely unfamiliar to me prior to reading this collection, so the experience of reading through it was pleasantly surprising. I found that the way in which Moore places the reader inside of the story, providing detailed instructions as to what "you" should do in most stories, was, to put it plainly, fun. I felt as though, instead of merely flipping through pages of a story, I was actually part of it. That's a truly unique feeling.
ReplyDeleteLike Martin, I also really enjoyed Self Help, and again I agree with both of you that the 2nd person point of view was very different from the rest of the stories we've read so far. Personally, I found "The Kid's Guide to Divorce" to be my favorite because it showed a lot of underlying tensions (not the the other stories don't have any). The one that moved me the most would be "What is Seized" because the mother went through SO much but still tried to give her daughter a positive outlook on life.
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed Self-Help. I would even go as far to say that it was my favorite book that we have read this semester. I really enjoyed the way that the second person point of view drew me in as a reader and made me connect to both the characters and the story lines in a stronger way. I personally enjoyed "How to be an Other Woman." It might have just been because it was at the beginning of the book, but I really liked how it opened my eyes to second person. I also really liked how she was able to play with the somewhat cliché story line that had an underlying presence throughout the entire story.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really interesting to read about killing off characters in the story "How to become a writer". The whole thing reminded me a lot of O'Brien. The most obvious being the commentary on writing they both present. The death's though, were especially interesting, as despite their seriousness, the deaths in "The Things They Carried" had an absurdity to them in a way this author seems to do as well.
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