Rating: 5/5
Review:
Very good indeed
I thought Property was very good indeed. I don’t always get on
very well with short stories but I found this collection to be
beautifully written, insightful and thought-provoking.
The supposed binding
theme of property is pretty tenuous, to be honest; the stories are
about far more than that, with an aspect of property and ownership
being just one theme of each story, but that didn’t matter at all
to me. These are primarily character studies and feature what Lionel
Shriver does so well, which is to get right inside a character and
illustrate brilliantly the sometimes contradictory elements which go
to make up a person and how they can determine major aspects of our
lives. The two novellas which begin and end the collection are
especially good at this; just as a small example, I liked this little
passage from The Standing Chandelier:
“He recognized
something in her, too – a difficulty in figuring out just how to be
with people. When he saw this awkwardness in someone else, he could
see how attractive it was when you didn’t like artifice, and would
rather be genuinely uncomfortable than insincerely at ease.”
Don’t look for
fast-paced action and plot here, but I found The Standing Chandelier
as involving as any thriller and the other stories were very good in
their way. Property is a pleasure to read and a thoroughly rewarding
book. Warmly recommended.
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