Lydia Davis

Lydia Davis’s book, “Varieties of Disturbance” is full of interesting short stories. Some of these stories are shorter than others , being only a few sentences. Those are my favorite ones in this book. “Tropical storm” (p. 19) seemed to have a deeper interpersonal meaning than some of the longer ones, maybe meant to appeal to a broader audience. I relate more to stories told in first person POV than any other view she has in this book. “Childcare” (p. 33) had a sweet ending, in which the two people in a bad mood are the “odd couple” at the end of the piece. These witty, short pieces are enjoyable to read and can teach good life lessons. However, this type of, slightly know-it-all short story/ life lesson guidebook is not my cup of tea. I can appreciate and enjoy some of them, but not all. I like the highly conceptual ones such as, “How Shall I Mourn Them?” (p. 183). A novel like this can teach me how to write meaningful and impactful pieces shorter, such as in a zine format. This also applies to the flash fiction we discussed last class period. Overall, I did enjoy reading this and it has a lot to offer as far as short story writing!