Rating: 
Summary: Compassion for the Flawed
Review: It is a rare thing to find fiction that deals with flawed and wounded people without driving into the ditch of sentimentality. It is rarer still to find prose that grabs the reader while we are learning about these people's lives. Haslett writes simple stories about complex people and offers no easy answers and no trite endings. They are just honest stories about regular people, many of whom are dealing with emotional disturbance or staggering loss. His skill is presenting these biographies without judgement and with an attention to detail that allows you to notice every flick of a cigarette and every lock of hair twisted between nervous fingers. You learn about these people in a way that is often uncomfortable. As I read these stories I was reminded how much we learn of strangers on long train rides or airport layovers. In a few hours and in a confined space many secrets are shared and sometimes a rare intimacy can occur. Haslett's stories capture rare intimacies and his language is lyrical without distracting from the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the human condition and especially to anyone who works with the mentally or physically ill. It is a revelation.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointed
Review: Like many, I was impressed by the stream of positive reviews for this book, especially for a first-time author. The reviews on Amazon seemed to concur with the general opinion that this collection was a major work by a talented new author. I found that the reviews were at best, hyperbole, and at worst, blatant hype. On close reading of the reviews a tone emerges that I feel is one of the secrets to this author's success: the reviews are as not just congratulatory, they are self-congratulatory. We want to like these stories to affirm that we are sensitive individuals, unafraid to peer into the darker corners of human experience. While I think such affirmation is a wonderful thing, I don't read fiction to get it.
The stories could be described in detail but it is far simpler, and no less accurate, to say that they revolve around the themes of death (often violent or due to suicide), homosexuality, and mental illness (almost always bipolar disorder or depression). In fact, it isn't possible to find a story in this collection that doesn't deal with at least two of the above themes, which I felt signified a phenomenal lack of imagination from a writer who had been lauded as this one has. If a character isn't anointed by the death of a parent/ a brush with mental illness/ thwarted homosexual longings they tend to be relegated to supporting roles of neighbours who interrupt dinner parties or shops teachers who dully float through their lives (these lives could be interesting too and you get the feeling Haslett knows it but just can't figure out what to do with them and so they are shuffled off-stage).
A writer has every right to choose the confines in which he feels must express himself but I thought these stories suffered from the constraints: I felt I was reading permutations of the same story over and over again. (Even proper names are recycled - Mrs. Giles in 'Devotion', a boy named Giles in 'Divination', minor quibbles but stuff that begins to wear on the reader). By the third story I was waiting for the author's obligatory other shoe to drop (so when does this character: put their head in the oven/ skip their medication so that the author can do his riff on a bipolar 'voice'/ look deeply into his classmates eyes...). I was never disappointed, which is to say I was greatly disappointed. I think the author should be praised for approaching 'difficult' subject matter and dealing with it in a way that attempts to give the characters dignity, but there are other ways of invoking sympathy than just the wake of death, there are other voices than that of the character who has skipped his Dapekote. If Haslett can express this, he hasn't shown it here, and he had plenty of opportunity.
But with several stories it becomes clear why Haslett spends so much time cruising the psychiatric manuals, he isn't particularly adept at dealing with emotions that don't arise from a pathologic situation or creating characters that are not wearing ready-made melodramatic yokes. When he attempts it, the result is a curious mixture: stock characters appear, improbable turns ensue.
An example is-hold your breath now-the heterosexual teenage boy in 'The Volunteer'. He is a virgin, of course, whose infatuation with a girl is annotated with every conceivable 'After School Special' cliché, who seeks advice about love and sex from a female psychiatric patient off her meds whose illness has estranged her from everyone except the voices in her head. His questions don't just pop up coincidentally in a conversation either, the character actually phones her up to ply her for insights. While it's true that the boy has few confidantes at home (his mother is, à la Haslett, in the throes of a depression) this interaction is as cloying as it is farfetched. In contrast to these ridiculous machinations, the troubled, orphaned boy in 'The Beginning of Grief' who becomes infatuated with a male classmate is given considerable psychological depth and complexity. As well, the female characters in this collection- from the elderly Scottish woman in 'War's End' to in Hillary in 'Devotion'- are little more than ciphers, used to introduce one injured male character to another or as a barrier between the male characters.
After reading 'Divination', a story where a young boy is able to foretell death (including that of his brother) you realize that you haven't just read a mediocre story, but a mediocre Steven King story aspiring to be a mediocre movie. There are some passages where the prose, unadorned for the most part, really impresses.
The last paragraph of 'Notes to my Biographer', the strongest story in the collection (bipoplar father: check, homosexual son: check), is especially beautiful and as good as you'll find in any collection. Often that type of beauty is enough, but I found it too rarely in this collection.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting, dark, thought-provoking stories!
Review: My only complaint about Adam Haslett's collection of short stories, You Are Not a Stranger Here, is that I wish there were more of them. These stories make immensely thought-provoking reads. They suck you in and don't let go. What makes this collection riveting is that the stories are centered on various mental illnesses. My favorites are "The Beginnings of Grief," "Notes to My Biographer," and "The Volunteer." The aforementioned stories disturbed me to the core. I couldn't put this book down. Are you in the bargain for dark, disturbing and truthful short stories? Pick up this wonderful gem!
Rating:
Summary: A master writer
Review: The spare, clean language of Haslett's book belies compassion behind his non-sentimentality. This is a rare gem and easily one of my 2 favorite books I read last year (along with Flanagan's "Gould's Book of Fish"). Haslett has exceptional talent and an ability to transcend the work of the people he admires (e.g. Munro). The perfection of his characterizations, the suspenseful tension of his storytelling, along with uncanny pacing are an inspiration to any writer. In the tradition of Capote, Kuralt and others, Haslett makes his finely honed language seem effortless (though I read he wrote full-time for 4 years to create this collection) and lets his unusual characters tell their stories. He's also done an exceptional job of creating non-cliched characters who none-the-less ring true. I'm envious! He's one of the finests writers I've read in ages.
Rating:
Summary: A master writer
Review: The spare, clean language of Haslett's book belies compassion behind his non-sentimentality. This is a rare gem and easily one of my 2 favorite books I read last year (along with Flanagan's "Gould's Book of Fish"). Haslett has exceptional talent and an ability to transcend the work of the people he admires (e.g. Munro). The perfection of his characterizations, the suspenseful tension of his storytelling, along with uncanny pacing are an inspiration to any writer. In the tradition of Capote, Kuralt and others, Haslett makes his finely honed language seem effortless (though I read he wrote full-time for 4 years to create this collection) and lets his unusual characters tell their stories. He's also done an exceptional job of creating non-cliched characters who none-the-less ring true. I'm envious! He's one of the finests writers I've read in ages.
Rating:
Summary: Unfortunately I Was The Stranger Here
Review: This book is a collection of nine stories by Adam Haslett, whose writing has been featured in magazines such as ZOETROPE, BOMB, and the YALE REVIEW, and praised by the likes of the "Today Show". His stories tend to focus on the issues of mental illness and homosexuality from the point of those who struggle with them on a daily basis. NOTES TO MY BIOGRAPHER is narrated by a manic-depressive, who thinks he is a great inventor, going to visit his son who is the only member of his family who still speaks to him. THE GOOD DOCTOR tells the story of Frank, a young psychiatrist who goes drives into a secluded, down-and-out town to prescribe medication for a depressed woman who is haunted by tragedy, only to find his own beliefs and convictions about his job challenged. THE BEGINNINGS OF GRIEF tells the disturbing story of an orphaned boy coming to terms with his sexuality, while caught in an ambivalent relationship with a classmate. In DEVOTION two grown siblings prepare dinner for a visitor they have not seen in twenty years and who is very special to both of them. WAR'S END chronicles the vacation a couple takes in order to help ease the husband's depression and the consequences a chance meeting with an older woman has. In REUNION, a man who is dying of AIDS has dinner with an old classmate and his friends as he laments the carelessness which has led him to his death. In DIVINATION, a young boy panics when he predicts the death of a teacher accurately and has a subsequent premonition about his brother. MY FATHER'S BUSINESS tells the story of a research project carrieid out by a man who inherited manic-depression. THE VOLUNTEER is perhaps the most complex of the stories, intertwining the fate of a mentally ill woman, haunted by the voice of an ancestor, with that of the teenage volunteer who visits her, all-the-while embarking on his first sexual experience. For some reason, I simply did not like this book. I found the stories to be stiff and removed as well as unengaging. The characters never seemed to be developed fully, perhaps in part because the narratives were generally third-person. Regardless, I found the writing style very aloof. I also felt that this book reeked of political-correctness. I almost had this vision of the author patting himself on the shoulder as he wrote about yet ANOTHER homosexual or manic depressive. Meanwhile, a lot of these stories just sort of meandered along with very little action. In one or two of them, I couldn't even tell what the ending was supposed to signify. Perhaps I am not being fair. I suppose the positive side of this book is that it shows people with mental illnesses and homosexuals struggling through these issues on their own while trying to live normal lives and gain the acceptance of those around them. The book doesn't judge them either. Nonetheless, Mr. Haslett just seemed to be trying too hard. The author bio says he is becoming a lawyer--go figure.
Rating: 
Summary: Touching, Haunting Stories
Review: This debut volume of short stories by Adam Haslett begins with six of the most haunting stories I have read in a long while. The last three short stores, while very good, do not reach the same level as those first ones but it is a relief to step back a little from the power and the pain. Mental illness, grief and loss form a common thread throughout the book. The title of the volume comes from the words of one of the characters but the words of another could just as easily have substituted, "We will survive this". Somehow the characters do survive, just barely and with their pain a throbbing wound, but they do survive and the author brings us gently and persuasively to this understanding that people can and do survive just about anything. The stories should make you cry a little, feel a little empty for a moment, and then give you your breath back as you contemplate their jagged beauty. A gem of a book.
Rating:
Summary: Rescued by a stranger
Review: What a wonderful surprise! I owe a big thank you to Rubem Fonseca for this one (click on the "see more about me" link to read my review of Fonseca's novel). I randomly selected You Are Not a Stranger Here from an airport bookstore while waiting for a flight to Brazil. Until that moment, I'd never heard of Haslett - a complete stanger to me. I had a gut feeling that the novel I was reading was not going to get any better so I decided to take some other reading material in case my gut was right. With little time to browse, I read the first paragraph of Haslett's stories and decided to purchase the book. In my haste, I failed to notice that the book was a collection of short stories as opposed to a novel. I generally don't enjoy short stories so I was quite disappointed when I settled in for my seven-hour flight to Sao Paulo, started reading the book, and then realized that it wasn't a novel. Although the short stories that I've read in the past have all seemed underdone and incomplete, I found the stories in this collection to be well developed and extremely engaging. The stories explore themes of pain, loss, and love as experienced by characters either with or affected by mental illness. In "Notes to My Biographer" a father and son, both with bipolar disorder struggle to maintain a relationship although they differ on treatment approaches for their illness. "Two Things to get straight from the beginning:" declares the father, "I hate doctors and have never joined a support group in my life." "The Beginnings of Grief" depicts one gay teenager's anguish over the loss of both parents while another teenager struggles to accept his desire for the affections of the grief stricken. In "The Volunteer" - my favorite story in the collection - a young man befriends a schizophrenic elderly woman who advises him on how to treat his first love and ultimately positions him to deal with his mother's depression. In this story, Haslett easily flows from the elderly woman's lucid, sane state to the delusional state where she sees and hears an ancestor who was among the early settlers of New England. The author exhibits great skill as he differentiates the narrative voice, from the character's voice, from the character's imagined ancestor's voice. I always knew whose perspective was being presented without the need for character introductions from the author. "The Volunteer" also captures the young man's first sexual encounter with a tenderness and accuracy that will leave many readers wondering - "is he writing about me?" This entire collection is undeniably the most well written, intricately imagined set of short stories that I've ever read. The stories depict the humanity and compassion of its characters as they navigate through highly complex emotional experiences. The language flows like melted butter and each story felt complete. I would read one story, digest its effect on me, wait a few days then read another. It was like reading nine novels in nine days! It's disappointing that Haslett didn't win the Pulitzer or National Book Award for this one but he deserves kudos for being a finalist for both. Highly Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Rescued by a stranger
Review: What a wonderful surprise! I owe a big thank you to Rubem Fonseca for this one (click on the "see more about me" link to read my review of Fonseca's novel). I randomly selected You Are Not a Stranger Here from an airport bookstore while waiting for a flight to Brazil. Until that moment, I'd never heard of Haslett - a complete stanger to me. I had a gut feeling that the novel I was reading was not going to get any better so I decided to take some other reading material in case my gut was right. With little time to browse, I read the first paragraph of Haslett's stories and decided to purchase the book. In my haste, I failed to notice that the book was a collection of short stories as opposed to a novel. I generally don't enjoy short stories so I was quite disappointed when I settled in for my seven-hour flight to Sao Paulo, started reading the book, and then realized that it wasn't a novel. Although the short stories that I've read in the past have all seemed underdone and incomplete, I found the stories in this collection to be well developed and extremely engaging. The stories explore themes of pain, loss, and love as experienced by characters either with or affected by mental illness. In "Notes to My Biographer" a father and son, both with bipolar disorder struggle to maintain a relationship although they differ on treatment approaches for their illness. "Two Things to get straight from the beginning:" declares the father, "I hate doctors and have never joined a support group in my life." "The Beginnings of Grief" depicts one gay teenager's anguish over the loss of both parents while another teenager struggles to accept his desire for the affections of the grief stricken. In "The Volunteer" - my favorite story in the collection - a young man befriends a schizophrenic elderly woman who advises him on how to treat his first love and ultimately positions him to deal with his mother's depression. In this story, Haslett easily flows from the elderly woman's lucid, sane state to the delusional state where she sees and hears an ancestor who was among the early settlers of New England. The author exhibits great skill as he differentiates the narrative voice, from the character's voice, from the character's imagined ancestor's voice. I always knew whose perspective was being presented without the need for character introductions from the author. "The Volunteer" also captures the young man's first sexual encounter with a tenderness and accuracy that will leave many readers wondering - "is he writing about me?" This entire collection is undeniably the most well written, intricately imagined set of short stories that I've ever read. The stories depict the humanity and compassion of its characters as they navigate through highly complex emotional experiences. The language flows like melted butter and each story felt complete. I would read one story, digest its effect on me, wait a few days then read another. It was like reading nine novels in nine days! It's disappointing that Haslett didn't win the Pulitzer or National Book Award for this one but he deserves kudos for being a finalist for both. Highly Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Odd but Great
Review: YOU ARE NOT A STRANGER HERE is definitely odd. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. This book is ODD! But it's also GREAT! Imagine a series of stories told from the point of view of the mentally ill or from non-crazy, but not-widely-accepted persuasions of people (homosexuals for instance). It is the real world from a decidedly different prospective that is oddly reminiscent of MY FRACTURED LIFE but also has certain tones of SEX, DRUGS, AND COCOA PUFFS (which in and of itself is reminiscent of MY FRACTURED LIFE) and STIFF.
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