A friend gave this book to me as a gift after we watched BIRDMAN in theaters a few years ago. I hadn't read anything by Raymond Carver before (and hadn't heard of him until I saw the movie), but my friend is a huge fan. This is the second time I've read through the book, and since I knew more of what to expect, I appreciated it more. The stories are often depressing, often dealing with screwed-up people with personal and familial problems. I can't say I can relate to these characters, but I imagine that there's a large subset of American society that can. Two of the stories - "Tell the Women We're Going" and "Popular Mechanics" - had such horrific endings, my hair stood up.

Mr. Carver's writing is deceptively simple, lacking complex vocabulary. If its themes and subtexts weren't so mature, I'd almost suggest that it be a candidate for a "high-low" book, meaning that its reading level is low but it's still appropriate for older readers.

5 stars. ( )

Very depressing short stories about emotionally torn people ( )