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Dubus of the pen
Okay, so for the one or two of you who were interested in the source of yesterday's quote and haven't already Googled it, the author was Andre Dubus[*] (1936-1999). It originally appeared in his 1983 short story A father's story, in which a father conspires to conceal a hit-and-run accident for which his daughter is responsible. Three years later, Dubus himself was struck by a hit-and-run driver and ultimately lost the use of both his legs. I read an obituary of him in Salon back when I was trying to decide whether to buy one of his books and it gave me pause. Naturally, it's got even more resonance now.
At least now I understand why that previous entry failed to garner a single reply. Obviously, I did buy that book after all and, although I've been enjoying it, I wouldn't say he has to go on anyone's reading list. If you like straightforward psychological realism focusing on heterosexual couples and families in the late 20th-century USA, you might give him a try. The artlessness of his approach elicits Frank O'Connor for me more than Hemingway, but that's not to suggest he has the same gift for diction. Moreover, now that I think of it, there seems to be little if anything in the way of humour or irony in his stories. Still, I've read about a dozen so far and I'll probably keep going until I polish off the collection.
[*] Not the author of House of sand and fog as some dingbat on Amazon assumed. That's his son.
At least now I understand why that previous entry failed to garner a single reply. Obviously, I did buy that book after all and, although I've been enjoying it, I wouldn't say he has to go on anyone's reading list. If you like straightforward psychological realism focusing on heterosexual couples and families in the late 20th-century USA, you might give him a try. The artlessness of his approach elicits Frank O'Connor for me more than Hemingway, but that's not to suggest he has the same gift for diction. Moreover, now that I think of it, there seems to be little if anything in the way of humour or irony in his stories. Still, I've read about a dozen so far and I'll probably keep going until I polish off the collection.
[*] Not the author of House of sand and fog as some dingbat on Amazon assumed. That's his son.