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The Spot Stories David Means 9780865479128 Books

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The Spot Stories David Means 9780865479128 Books

I listened to one of Means' stories on the New Yorker Fiction podcast and decided to buy the book.. Characters are shady. There's violence - mostly implicit - but disturbing, nevertheless. More graphic violence would be merely revolting. I think he writes in a single mode--the thought processes of a creepy, predatory guy, but if that mode interests you, I think think you'll like Means. Makes me think of Dostoevski's, Notes from the Underground. That he bears comparison with Dostoevski suggests that he's a serious writer, and he is. Violence and creepiness are relevant to our times, aren't they?


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The Spot Stories David Means 9780865479128 Books Reviews

David Means packs more in five pages than most writers do in five books, and nowhere is this sublime narrative economy more on display than in his new collection, The Spot. His stories track the sorrows of the empire wilderness, the anatomy of sudden violence, the retreat into self in the face of trauma. They're also entertaining, thoughtful, and heartbreaking. No one else writes like David Means, and any serious student of fiction should be familiar with his work.
I'll be honest, I struggled to get into this book. I almost set it aside after the first few stories. But once I got used to Means' style, I really began to appreciate his language and craft. The stories were still a struggle, in part because I hated most of his characters, but still worth the read.
David means latest collection (his 4th) of short stories, "The Spot," is spot on. I've been a fan of Mean's work for years and was exceedingly delighted when I learned that this new collection was coming out. Exceptional short story writers are rare indeed -- there's not the market for them that there is for novels -- but Means is one of the best working today. He packs more into a six page short story than most contemporary novelists can fit into 300+ pages. You know he's good, because his stories are the kind that you want to read again and again. I just finished "The Spot," and I've already begun reading it again from the beginning, plus I plan on returning to his earlier collections soon.

Being a native of Michigan my favorite stories are the ones that are about or at least reference the state, but they are all good. A stronger collection I have not read in some time.
The Spot is David Means's fourth collection of stories, and he continues to write strongly about men, vagrants, and small time charlatans with a subdued grace that is mature and skilled and interesting. His midwestern stories and rural New York stories are all very good. Two of three of his NYC stories seemed out of place (Knocking, River in Egypt), while his third NYC story (Reading Chekov), despite lacking the direct midwestern and rural tones, still came across, to me, very nicely. That said, David is a superb short story writer and this collection is very well written and was definitely worth the wait.
I just finished reading David Means' collection of stories called "The Spot." For the most part, there were some stories I enjoyed a great deal while there were others that just didn't do it for me at all. All of the stories seemed to center around a "place" or a "thing"--or in other words the "spot." Most of the tales are quite dark---hoboes sitting around a campfire talking about a possible stabbing. The title story, The Spot, talks about a girl who ends up at the bottom of Niagara Falls. Bank robbers in "Nebraska" gives you a real sense into the intricasies of planning this sort of robbery. One thing I found interesting in each story was the incredible level of detail that Means brought to the experience. I mean I am not planning to rob a bank but if I was I would surely have a much better idea of how to do this after reading this story. Same with prostitution and other horrific acts. This book was named a NY Times Notable Book of 2010 and although I enjoyed some of the stores, I need to give it 3 out of 5 stars as in general there were a bunch I just did not appreciate.
David Means is one of my favorite short story writers. He can take any story and make it different and unique. In THE SECRET GOLDFISH he displayed a wide range of narrative techniques; in THE SPOT, he seems to have become content with one basic narrative, and while most of the stories are dark and deal with some kind of crime, they are done exceedingly well.
I listened to one of Means' stories on the New Yorker Fiction podcast and decided to buy the book.. Characters are shady. There's violence - mostly implicit - but disturbing, nevertheless. More graphic violence would be merely revolting. I think he writes in a single mode--the thought processes of a creepy, predatory guy, but if that mode interests you, I think think you'll like Means. Makes me think of Dostoevski's, Notes from the Underground. That he bears comparison with Dostoevski suggests that he's a serious writer, and he is. Violence and creepiness are relevant to our times, aren't they?