Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsInherited Disorders had me at the title and the cover
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2016
Inherited Disorders had me at the title and the cover. The description promised the rest, a humorous look at how sons dealt with the legacy they inherited from their father, whether in physicial, monetary, or any other form. At first the short, shorter and shortest short stories made me wanting more, the stories were quirky, surreal, with a hint of absurdist humor and hilarity.
This is all about the often problematic relationships between fathers and sons and these fathers'expectations of their sons, what will they do with their 'inheritance'. Will they trump their fathers and be better or more well-known? Or turn away and go the complete opposite direction? Or worse, utterly fail?
A sample:
"DIVING RECORD
A Florida man died Monday while trying to surpass his father’s record for deep diving without the aid of oxygen or fins. Thirty years ago, in the Gulf of Mexico, the father famously dove 225 feet without using oxygen or fins. On Monday the son made three dives in the same location, all without using oxygen or fins. His first dive was 167 feet. His second dive was 191 feet. On his third attempt the son managed to dive down 216 feet without oxygen or fins, but his lungs burst on the way up and he died aboard his diving vessel. At the funeral, his father tearfully admitted that in his record-setting dive he had actually used both oxygen and fins."
But then, it became repetitive. There are just too many of these highly intellectual, metaphysical and philosophical vignettes. So, eventhough dnf-ed at 39% of the book, I'll still give this book a solid 3*. The writing is excellent. AES knows the craft of playing with words. It is just...not for me.
Review copy supplied by publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a rating and/or review.
