The Secret Society of Demolition Writers

May 9, 2005
Instead of whodunit, this anthology of 12 anonymously penned short stories asks "who wrote it?" Parent gathers tales by well-known authors (including Aimee Bender, Michael Connelly, Sebastian Junger, Elizabeth McCracken, Anna Quindlen, Alice Sebold and himself) under the premise that freedom from reputation and byline leads to exciting storytelling. The device is intriguing—like a blind taste test—but potentially frustrating: the fun of the blind taste test, after all, is when you learn the name of your favorite flavor. And though many pieces deal with dark subjects, it's difficult to feel that anonymity has encouraged much authorial risk. A man falls in love with a women who's killed her parents; a father-to-be unleashes a ghost into the world; two young travelers are caught in a West African war. The finest story in the collection, "Wonderland," centers on a fashion magazine editor—"a fash-mag hag"—recalling a college affair with a custodian that led to unexpected consequences. The quality of the stories varies, but overall is high: why doesn't everyone just slap their names on what they wrote? Maybe because then it'd be just another anthology.

June 15, 2005
Writers of serious literature must often struggle with the expectations imposed on them by the reading public, the demands of the marketplace, and their own reputations. With this accomplished and intriguing collection, Parent ("Turning Stones") set out to provide a moment of liberation. He invited a small group of well-known contemporary writers (including Aimee Bender, Benjamin Cheever, and Alice Sebold) to contribute anonymously to this book -to see what might happen if they could write fearlessly, as if they had "nothing to lose." We know the names of all the contributors but not who wrote what; the results are fascinating. As a group, these stories are beautifully realized, deeply satisfying in their variety, and powerful in their cumulative impact. They deal mostly with serious moments of human connection, disconnection, and hard-won personal clarity -and they do not shrink from confronting pain, loneliness, and confusion. Much more than a charming literary experiment, this is, indeed, literature at its most compelling and fearless. Enthusiastically recommended. -Patrick Sullivan, Manchester Community Coll., CT

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