A review by vcrusso
Never Can Say Goodbye: Writers on Their Unshakable Love for New York by Sari Botton
3.0
Like any collection of short stories: there are good, and there are bad (some in this book fall under very, very bad).
The stories I loved were filled with all of the things about New York that I already know, learned from novels and music and TV shows. It's nice to hear the confirmation that yes it is hard but it is still dazzling. I am eagerly awaiting my first real snowfall in the city, the characters on the subway, coming to the realization that I may be a fast walker in my hometown, but I am nothing compared to the speed at which New Yorkers go about their days.
The stories I didn't like often had so little to do with New York itself and more to do with the author in New York. In an anthology about New York, I expected the city to stand out as a main character, the best friend, the sidekick. Some of the others were just weird, filled with gross innuendoes and references that must be before my time as a Millennial? Gen Z? Some of these people were moving to New York before I was born, that says all you need to know.
All in all I think this has something for everyone, which, at the end of the day, is what an anthology should have. A kitchen sink type book. I made sure to dog-ear some of my favorite stories and lines, and I'll go back and read them over and over again until I have my own New York stories to write.
The stories I loved were filled with all of the things about New York that I already know, learned from novels and music and TV shows. It's nice to hear the confirmation that yes it is hard but it is still dazzling. I am eagerly awaiting my first real snowfall in the city, the characters on the subway, coming to the realization that I may be a fast walker in my hometown, but I am nothing compared to the speed at which New Yorkers go about their days.
The stories I didn't like often had so little to do with New York itself and more to do with the author in New York. In an anthology about New York, I expected the city to stand out as a main character, the best friend, the sidekick. Some of the others were just weird, filled with gross innuendoes and references that must be before my time as a Millennial? Gen Z? Some of these people were moving to New York before I was born, that says all you need to know.
All in all I think this has something for everyone, which, at the end of the day, is what an anthology should have. A kitchen sink type book. I made sure to dog-ear some of my favorite stories and lines, and I'll go back and read them over and over again until I have my own New York stories to write.