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Fabulous Small Jews: Stories
 
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Fabulous Small Jews: Stories (Hardcover)

by Joseph Epstein (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (30 Aug 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0395944023
  • ISBN-13: 978-0395944028
  • Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 14.2 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,329,310 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Average Customer Review
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3.0 out of 5 stars Gentle and charming tales, 22 Oct 2009
This review is from: Fabulous Small Jews (Paperback)
Gentle and charming tales

I was fortunate enough to discover Joseph Epstein via an inclusion in the anthology, 'The Best American Short-Stories". Thankfully that story (My Brother Eli) did not re-appear in this edition and so that which I read in 'Fabulous Small Jews' was all new. I would like to say new AND fresh, but unfortunately I cannot.

Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of eighteen short stories and would certainly recommend it; it would make a great holiday-by-the-pool read. Fresh however, is not really an adjective one assimilates to Epstein's work. Epstein has a keen eye for detail, he is observant of humans and human nature, his characters are sincere, likeable and believable and he knows how to tell a story. The problem is though, that he rarely (if ever) steps outside of his comfort zone and he rarely challenges or truly engages the reader. His stories fit like a pair of well-worn house-slippers, familiar yet somewhat uninspiring. When he does stretch himself, however, as with the superbly dark and witty 'Postcards', we get a clear glimpse of what Epstein could be if he only jumped for a higher bar.

The reason for a general lack of inspiration is partly due to the familiarity and plausibility of the characters (which of course makes them endearing and real to the reader) and partly due to Epstein's perpetual re-cycling. Plots, characters, locations and themes are all cut-and-pasted; repeated and recycled. So by the end of the book it is pretty hard to tell if you are experiencing a flash of deja vu or reading a new story. With that in mind, I couldn't imagine myself rushing to the bookshop to search out his other short-stories. Probably one collection is enough.

That stated, I did enjoy this, and there ARE no shortage of good stores. I would include amongst the best:

The Third Mrs. Kessler
Freddy Duchamp in Action
Dubinsky on the Loose

The best of the bunch, by far, has to be 'Postcards', which is simply brilliant. Although here again, one can't help feeling Epstein is keeping something for himself, holding back, not giving us his all; he doesn't quite have his foot all the way to the floor. Is he afraid of speeding? or of getting a ticket? who knows? Even with such an original and impressive tale as this, one cannot help but feel that this story could (and should) have been developed a lot further and pushed a lot deeper. This is an emotional response which continuously re-occurs throughout and something that makes Epstein (like his flawed characters) a good writer, but never a great one.
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