Dec 31, 2009

If the River Was Whiskey | If the River Was Whiskey

At a glance:

Author: T. Coraghessan Boyle
First Published: 1988
Type of Work: Short Stories
Genres: Short fiction, Domestic realism
Subjects: Parents and children, Love or romance, Sex or sexuality, Nature, Restaurants, bars, taverns, or pubs, Dreams, 1980’s, Alcoholism or alcoholics, Substance abuse, Fathers, Unemployment or unemployed workers, Depression, mental, Drinking or drunkenness, Hollywood, Public relations, Fishing or fishermen, Comedy, Satire, Lakes
Locales: California, Connecticut, New York, Mexico, Ireland, Maine, Quebec, Canada, Latin America, Nicaragua

T. Coraghessan Boyle is nothing if not timely in his subjects. “There was no exchange of body fluids on the first date,” begins the story called “Modern Love,” “and that suited both of us just fine.” The story is not the best in this collection, which includes some very good ones, but it has Boyle’s characteristic tone: a mixture of humor and menace, confected by a deft and insolent parodist.

IF THE RIVER WAS WHISKEY gathers sixteen stories first published in slick magazines such as THE ATLANTIC, GENTLEMAN’S QUARTERLY, HARPER’S, and PLAYBOY and literary magazines such as ANTAEUS, GRANTA, and THE PARIS REVIEW. They range from skitlike parodies (“The Little Chill”) and satiric sketches (“Hard Sell,” a take-off on Ayatollah Khomeini and modern advertising, published in HARPER’S before the Salman Rushdie affair) to serious moodpieces such as the title story. Several of the best stories are in the vein of “Sorry Fugu,” which centers on a restaurant reviewer, and “Peace of Mind,” which takes a cynical look at home security systems: funny, fast-paced tales of modern life.

For some reason, reviewers keep looking for Boyle to “mature,” to write with more “depth,” but such is not his gift. What he can be counted on to provide is laughter laced with malice and little shocks of recognition.

Sources for Further Study

The Bloomsbury Review. IX, November/December, 1989, p.5.

Booklist. LXXXV, May 15, 1989, p.1606.

Kirkus Reviews. LVII, March 1, 1989, p.312.

Library Journal. CXIV, March 15, 1989, p.84.

Los Angeles Times Book Review. May 21, 1989, p.3.

Mother Jones. XIV, July/August, 1989, p.52.

The New Republic. CC, June 12, 1989, p.40.

The New York Times. May 2, 1989, p. C18.

The New York Times Book Review. XCIV, May 14, 1989, p.1.

Publishers Weekly CCXXXV, February 24, 1989, p.223.

The Wall Street Journal. CCXIII, June 20, 1989, p. A16.