What Was Mine

June 15, 1992
In these 12 stories, whose protagonists represent a wide range of voices, ages and social classes, Beattie effectively conveys their epiphanies, though at times she carries subtlety to extremes.

April 1, 1991
Beattie's fifth collection of stories (after the novel Picturing Will ) is good news for those readers who, though admiring of her skill at creating characters, are left cold by her unwavering, affectless narration. Collectively, the protagonists in these 12 stories represent a wide range of voices, ages, social classes. Although emotions are openly acknowledged, characters still reveal things of which they are not consciously aware. In a few of these stories Beattie's intent remains elusive; subtlety is carried to an irksome extreme, and the random accretion of details impedes coherence. But at her best, Beattie succeeds in effectively conveying epiphanies. In the moving title story, a man whose father died when he was a baby suddenly understands the true meaning of loss. With the help of her son, the divorcee in ``Horatio's Trick'' achieves an insight that illumines her entire life to date: ``She was just sitting there, scared to death.'' The young husband and father in ``You Know What,'' who has feared for years that ``something bad will happen,'' comes to understand that a life spent in dread is a life wasted. The most impressive story, ``Windy Day at the Reservoir,'' has beautifully nuanced and detailed character portrayal, and a textured plot full of poignant surprises.