This Isn't the Sort of Thing That Happens to Someone Like You

February 6, 2012
This debut collection by Bermuda native and Man Booker Prize–nominee McGregor (If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things) comprises 30 stories roughly organized by their various British settings. The book includes a few perhaps too-clever experimental short forms mixed with longer traditional stories, which rise to the top as the book’s better reads. “In Winter the Sky” juxtaposes free verse narrative poems penned by Joanna and the prose narrative of how she and her husband, George, struggle to profitably operate their family farm. The collection’s plum is the ironic, eerie “Wires,” where university student Emily Wilkinson’s windshield is smashed by a lone sugar beet flying off the back of an open lorry. Rescued by two dubiously chivalrous men, Emily is too busy worrying about breaking up with her ill-tempered boyfriend to sense the danger in her current predicament. The majority of these tales—like the delightfully surreal antiwar satire, “I’ll Buy You a Shovel”—are full of quirky characters and accessible enough to hold general readers’ interest, while the other pieces will entice fans of experimental literary fiction. Agent: Jin Auh, the Wylie Agency.

February 15, 2012
Absorbing, quirky stories by Booker-nominated McGregor. The best stories here are very good indeed. McGregor approaches his narratives elliptically and doesn't shy away from experimentation. "In Winter the Sky," for example, focuses on the fortunes of George, a young man who has been visiting his girlfriend. Driving home in a preoccupied state, he accidentally runs over a man, killing him instantly. Because he knows this would have a less-than-salutary effect on his future, George calmly buries the man and gets on with his relationship with the girl, eventually marrying her and taking care of his debilitated father. Years later the body is discovered, but there are no moral ramifications for George, only a little inconvenience. While McGregor conveys this narrative on the left-hand pages of the story, on the right-hand pages he gives us fragments of poetry written by George's girlfriend/wife, poetry that gives us an alternative view of the events recounted. Another brilliant story, "Which Reminded Her, Later," introduces us to Michael, a vicar, and Catherine, his wife. In deft strokes McGregor gives us glimpses of their earlier relationship, but by the time this story begins, they're a long-suffering married couple. In his role as vicar (and Good Samaritan), Michael has invited a mysterious American woman into their house, a woman who spends much of her time dealing with a mysterious ailment. Catherine has little tolerance for this act of charity, and she and her husband become equally intransigent about how to deal with the situation. McGregor gives us 30tories here, ranging from a single sentence to dense (and intense) re-creations of relationships. Impressive and unconventional fiction.

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March 15, 2012

The stories in this new collection from McGregor (Even the Dogs) rain down bleak as English weather, and that's meant as a compliment. Set in eastern England, the 30 stories focus on random and violent encounters, with a landscape featuring floods, "cold, wet morning light," and "the swirl and churn of the river playing an equally prominent role." McGregor's sentences are measured and keen--some of the pieces could easily pass as prose poems--and his ear for regional dialog is superb. The scenes are unexpected, as in "The Wires," when a sugar beet comes crashing through a driver's window. What follows is as harrowing as one of Flannery O'Connor's tales. VERDICT A few of the stories are more experimental in style and lack impact. However, unflinching readers of contemporary short stories will relish the great majority of this collection.--Travis Fristoe, Alachua Cty. Lib. Dist., Gainesville, FL

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