A review by dilan11
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver

dark funny sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I have certainly read the title story in anthologies and I believe I may have read the entire book back in the 80s when it came out. I certainly didn't like it, not at all but I do recognize that Carver has a unique talent and certainly has been an influence on many writers over the last half century. I admire how his style accords with his material - raw, minimal, masculine. But all that drinking, that violence toward women, that despair was way too much for me. Also, the violent men, the accommodating women were just a bit too cliched for me much of the time. My favorite story was "After the Denim." That male character was still angry but he was older and I felt his sorrow and the woman's love for him in a way I didn't in many of the other stories.
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