What He's Poised to Do
Book | Ben Greenman
Snail mail makes a comeback in these short stories.
Remember back in 2008 when New Yorker Ben Greenman put out a letterpress edition book, Correspondences? Well, there's more where that came from. What He's Poised to Do expands the previous collection with even more letter-form short stories--letters between estranged fathers and daughters, letters between ex-lovers, even letters addressed to other letters (as opposed to people). Mostly his correspondent-narrators are solipsists, and the epistolary format allows them to rehash why they cheated, why they lied, why they gave in to social expectations. Whether ammunition experts or Cuban romantics, his narrators and their skewed perspectives provide comedic and often tragic contrast to those of their peers. These are unique voices that don't shy away from titanic egoism or selfishness. Of course, the pitfall of this honesty is occasional emotional sterility; you may be shaken but not stirred by some stories. In the end, Greenman's brazen penetration of diverse lives and voices is so candid and funny though, you may hope it's true that the postman always rings twice.
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