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Apparition And Other Late Stories (2000)

by Thomas Lynch(Favorite Author)

3.61 of 5 Votes: 5

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English

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review 1: Thomas Lynch, until now most famous for his award-winning The Undertaking, a study of the art of the funerary trade, tries his hand at fiction and mostly succeeds. Each of the four short stories and the novella in this collection deal with grief and loss, sometimes due to death, sometimes to the dissolution of a relationship."Catch and Release" focuses on a fishing guide grieving the death of his father who taught him how to fish on the same waters on which he now plies his trade. "Bloodsport" is told in flashback by an undertaker who cannot shake his memories of one client's life and death. Clearly the research Lynch did for The Undertaking informs this story most of all. "Hunter's Moon" tells the tale of a retired casket salesman who has buried two wives and had another ... moreleave him. He reminisces on his life, his marriages, his struggles with alcohol and his place in the world. "Matinee de Septembre" is the most page-turning among the stories, the story of a professor and poet who decides to vacation on Michigan's Mackinac Island shortly before the Fall semester begins at her university. While there she becomes entranced, perhaps obsessed, by a vision of beauty so overwhelming she risks everything in pursuit of it. The novella, "Apparition", mixes the pathos of the breakup of a minister's marriage with the humorous advice and assistance of a Catholic priest. Moving back and forth in time, it investigates the origins of infidelity in the marriage and discovers that while saving grace might be available from sources less than divine, the price paid can result in the complete transformation of a man's spiritual life.Well written, poetic and striking a tone that feels right, Lynch's first foray into fiction is recommended for fans of short fiction and stories of loss and grief.
review 2: Only Willing To Catch Apparition & Late Fictions: A Novella and Stories by Thomas Lynch. Published by W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. Thomas Lynch’s collection of short stories in his book Apparition and Late Fictions are examples of Lynch’s continuous theme of life and death. Along with his knowledge of being a mortician comes the character development that can be found in a full length novel. Lynch creates a new world in each story with its own situations and sentiments and yet the reader can relate to the characters’ feelings towards the one they have lost. Lynch’s use of sensory details also helps the reader envision the scenery throughout the pieces. Whether the piece takes place in a local river where a fisherman mourns the loss of his father or in an airplane where a middle aged woman remembers her late husband. Lynch is able to keep the reader’s interest by using language that is appropriate for each story and by using the setting as a way to bring together the whole aspect of how life and death relate to each other. “The thermos bottle with his father’s ashes in it rested on the front seat of the drift boat” (Lynch 15).Catch and Release” is a story detailing the history of its main character Danny. In the story, Danny has taken his father’s ashes to the river to go fishing. Whether the reader is aware of terminology used in fishing or not, it does not distract the reader that much from the use of rich language present throughout the piece. Lynch describes the river through Danny’s perception which makes it easy for the reader to understand his relationship with the river and his father: “He loved the snug hold of the river on his boat, the determination of its current, the certain direction, the quiet” (17). The way that Lynch personifies something that was never alive compared to the ashes of a man who was very much alive is something the reader can appreciate throughout the rest of the book, not just the story. Lynch then continues his character development in the characters in the stories “Bloodsport” and “Hunter’s Moon”. The helplessness in the characters is what makes the stories believable, relatable, and interesting for the reader. One can feel sympathisize for the father in “Hunter’s Moon”, Harold Keehn. Harold looks back at his life and thinks about the decisions he made early in his life and the relationship he had with his daughter. This situation is something that most people can relate to. The continuous wit of Lynch’s writing style is what saves the pieces from being boring because these stories all deal with death and some readers may need a mental break. Lynch embeds his experiences with death in each story, giving the stories more personality. For example, in “Bloodsport” there is a mortician who takes care of a father and many years later a young girl with whom he knew briefly. The character of Martin is more believable because of Lynch himself. Lynch seems to explore gothic, sentimental, and almost mathematical themes to each story. Overall, the book was easy to read and the language was rich. less

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