Grey Area: And Other Stories

Rating:
Summary: Sleight of Hand
Review: "Grey Area" is more impressive in scope and scabs than in realization. The linguistic sciolism (vituperative of me to say), the skittery plotlines, the curvy roads, the meaty chunks, flesh against my teeth, yes yes, miasma well-placed, and fluid-filled lungs remind me; "Inclusion" includes a tying of loose ends, and "The End of the Relationship" so entirely different - its (seeming) placidity rents it from the guttural slavering and pedestrian contempts of the rest. The cruelty here is even more pronounced due to its nuance and understated enunciation. There are throughout brilliant moments, but the stories often left me feeling circumspect - as though i had witnessed and was almost taken in by some elaborate legerdemain. There is an air of flippancy that detracts from the disturbing characterizations and dim, dystopian landscapes. The chthonic sturm und drang unravels a heavy damp sweater only to leave us with a string between forefinger and thumb. And still, worth the read: for the intestinal aspirations, for the restive mind at work.

Rating:
Summary: Sleight of Hand
Review: "Grey Area" is more impressive in scope and scabs than in realization. The linguistic sciolism (vituperative of me to say), the skittery plotlines, the curvy roads, the meaty chunks, flesh against my teeth, yes yes, miasma well-placed, and fluid-filled lungs remind me; "Inclusion" includes a tying of loose ends, and "The End of the Relationship" so entirely different - its (seeming) placidity rents it from the guttural slavering and pedestrian contempts of the rest. The cruelty here is even more pronounced due to its nuance and understated enunciation. There are throughout brilliant moments, but the stories often left me feeling circumspect - as though i had witnessed and was almost taken in by some elaborate legerdemain. There is an air of flippancy that detracts from the disturbing characterizations and dim, dystopian landscapes. The chthonic sturm und drang unravels a heavy damp sweater only to leave us with a string between forefinger and thumb. And still, worth the read: for the intestinal aspirations, for the restive mind at work.

Rating:
Summary: Hit and Miss
Review: Another collection of short stories by Will Self. In subject matter, they are a mixed bag, ranging from a man's guilty recollections of his schooldays to a futuristic story set in a pollution-blighted England.

As with all such collections, I thought that some of the stories worked better than others: for example Self's ascerbic wit works particularly well in "Inclusion" (the bee-worshipping Maeterlincki tribe I thought was hilarious), but in other stories the humour is more strained.

In all, it's worth a ramble through this book, but be prepared to pick and choose your favourite bits.

Rating:
Summary: praise for Will Self's Grey Area
Review: Self is one of the most talented British contemporary writers and enjoys this celebrity for good reason. He writes Grey Area in an overwhelmingly cryptic tone saturated with insight in both human nature and the nature of our own surroundings in a surreal world. His observations are scientific anthropological jewels, while his writing mechanics are those of an artist. Grey Area is a book I'd recommend to not only the fan of British literature, short story format, or imaginative writing, but to the most hard - nosed non - reader