The Collected Stories of Richard Yates

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Richard Yates wrote mean books about mean people, and these stories are no exception. If I were to generalize, I would say that the best of them (Liars in Love is a prime example) concern a point when a person loses his moral grounding. Drinking and despair follow. As in the beginning of Revolutionary Road when the couple is arguing by their car, it's not the best side of humankind being captured here, it's the worst. But it is so beautifully done.

Not every story is perfect, and it's interesting that The Canal is mentioned by so many of the reviewers up here because I found that one nearly impenetrable. It was more like a script than a short story. I also tired of the stories set in the TB ward. The way the smallest event echoed in that enclosed atmosphere stopped working for me. But the portrait Yates offers of the average person in difficult circumstances is wonderful. The trilogy of stories based on his own life as the son of a single mother who was a sculptor are also fantastic.

Very highly recommended.

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This collection is introduced by Richard Russo who does a tremendous job of dissecting "a Yates' story" and what the reader feels as a result of reading his work. Russo likens the latter to "the exhilaration of encountering, recognizing, and embracing the truth". It was interesting to read Yates' short biography at the back of the book as key events in his life were obvious inspiration for these stories; his frustrated sculptress mother, army service, health, journalism and advertising, and time in Europe (or preparing to leave for Europe) all appear time and again.

The first third of this collection, Eleven Kinds of Loneliness, begins with Doctor Jack-o'-Lantern that covers the miscommunications and challenges between student and teacher and student with peers. The Best of Everything is a quick and unsettling little tale about marriage and a young couple not quite being right for each other. Jody Rolled The Bones has Yates visiting the military as he often does and ably demonstrating how a group of young men can rapidly mature and recognize that often what they need is what they want least. The B.A.R. Man reveals that one's best days are in the past and once realized it can lead to bad decisions. The final tale, Builders, I found the most intriguing of the bunch. It communicates the need for hope and optimism while extolling the pursuit of farfetched dreams.

The second part of this collection, Liars in Love, begins with a nod to Yates' real mother and the complexity of homeschooling. Other ones of interest included, A Natural Girl which shows how wrong and powerless a father can be. A Compassionate Leave was a disturbing portrayal of a distant and lost family. Regards at Home was similar in exploration to the Wheelers decision in Revolutionary Road to move to Paris.

The last part is called The Uncollected Stories and it commences with The Canal. This is my favorite type of Yates story where he combines flashbacks to the Second World War with contemporary US in the 1950's or 1960's (like The B.A.R. Man). In this story a cocktail party provides the setting for old war stories and the shocking remembrance of old wounds. The Comptroller and the Wild Wind reveals the beginning of a disintegration in the character of George Pollock, Comptroller, American Bearing Corporation. Yates does such a fantastic job capturing the faceless managerial caste following World War Two in all of his work.

Not all of the stories are that strong unto themselves but in the aggregate they offer up a journey into uncomfortable lives and the dangerous situations we humans create over the lengths of our lives and in the depths of our relationships.

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I too wondered where this author had been hidden. This book is a must for the contemporary American short story fan - Yates offers a painfully sharp snapshot of human motivation and emotion that will stop you in your tracks. If you follow the likes of John Updike, Richard Ford, Lorrie Moore, TC Boyle, you'll want to read what Yates has to offer.

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Richard Yates is a top-notch writer. It's hard to understand why he's not more popuilar. Maybe because there's so much sadness in his stories. More importantly, they are rich and true to life, showing a rare and deep understanding of the human condition.

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Revolutionary Road is equal to any work of American fiction. His stories, while uneven, are at their best, heartbreaking.