I have not read Updike before but this collection seems a rather transparent recollection of his own (short) stories. Here is a reminiscence of travel, of how ambivalent families and places can make one feels, of loves come and go, of id and ego in battles, of how memories can be grand and insignificant all the same. Here and there, as it is unavoidable of a recollection, you sniff a what if. And how comforting for the soul that the mind can offer such an alternative. I love Updike, so it was sad reading his last book of short stories. These seem so personal that they must be at least half autobiographical. Many take places in Pennsylvania, where he was born, and featured characters in the last part of their lives. Updike stories always show off his great vocabulary, concise and vivid descriptions, and lusty characters. He was interested in sex and illicit relationships all of his life and these stories are no exception. I think his main point was that people reveal deep emotional secrets and a picture of authentic selves when they step out of normal life and enter an affair. No doubt that Updike, like most guys, thought about sex all the time but what made him different was his masterful ability to write about it. In his early books Updike seemed to treat sex as an erotic amusement park but in these last stories sex seems to be more plain, natural, and an important part of being human. In this collection is my favorite of all of Updike's stories, which is A Walk with Elizanne, the best high school reunion story ever written.
What do You think about Le Lacrime Di Mio Padre (2010)?
Melancholy, well crafted, stories of middle age in America.
—fizzywhizzy
Absolutely amazing... inspired me as a writer
—kbj0603
