A review by brettpet
Tenth of December: Stories by George Saunders
3.0
I didn't like Tenth of December as much as the other two Saunders books I read this year (Bardo and CivilWarLand), but there was still a lot to enjoy with this collection. The opening story "Victory Lap" is a perfect encapsulation of his writing style, while "Escape from Spiderhead" (which has been inexplicably turned into a Netflix movie) is a raucous merging of Vonnegut and Phillip K Dick. The title story is one of Saunders' best ever, a moving meditation on the innocence of youth and finality of death.
Unfortunately, I think the book takes a dive in quality in the second half. "The Semplica Girl Diaries" didn't work for me—I didn't care for the journal entry writing style or the repetitive nature of the story, while "Home" is an inherently American sentiment but feels the most inconclusive of all the stories.
Over the course of this year, Saunders has gone from an author who I would see intermittently on bookstore shelves and think "the premise of this sounds good but I have too much else to read right now" to one of my favorite short story writers. Looking forward to Liberation Day next.
Unfortunately, I think the book takes a dive in quality in the second half. "The Semplica Girl Diaries" didn't work for me—I didn't care for the journal entry writing style or the repetitive nature of the story, while "Home" is an inherently American sentiment but feels the most inconclusive of all the stories.
Over the course of this year, Saunders has gone from an author who I would see intermittently on bookstore shelves and think "the premise of this sounds good but I have too much else to read right now" to one of my favorite short story writers. Looking forward to Liberation Day next.