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Gryphon

New and Selected Stories
by Charles Baxter
Gryphon: New and Selected Stories. Pantheon. 2010. c.416p. ISBN 9780307379214. $27.95. F
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This collected work reminds us that Baxter shines in the short story form. Whereas his novels (e.g., The Feast of Love) are cinematic in tone, his stories read like unfinished journal entries from a secret diary. By allowing the reader only a glimpse into the lives of each character, Baxter weaves together seemingly mundane activities into complex examples of love, fear, and anxiety. This collection is officially touted as a best of, with a few new additions, but, thematically, each of the 23 stories is a piece of a larger puzzle that cannot be put together. Whether his characters are standing on their head to relieve stress, writing fake horoscopes to instill confidence in their children, or teaching children to tell their fortune with a tarot deck, each action serves as a lens to focus Baxter's illumination of the mystery of life.
VERDICT Readers who enjoy the simple prose of John Irving and the imagination of Michael Chabon will be delighted by this collection. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 8/10.]
Reviewed by Joshua Finnell, Denison Univ. Lib., Granville, OH , Oct 15, 2010
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