Weekend Guide 01.22.2021
Wrestling with Denis Johnnson
I may be done reading Denis Johnson. I haven’t read all of his work. Only four titles. Don’t judge me. I may have even been done with him two books ago. But I keep getting pulled back in. I read Train Dreams this week. It was the final straw. I think. I was only able to finish Train Dreams because it was short. The allure of finality and closing it for good propelled me through.
(not my hands)
Train Dreams is a meandering story of a boring life. Robert Grainier is a railroad worker in the Idaho panhandle in the early 20th century. He experiences things and lives in a time. But I truly never gave a shit about him. I felt bad when he (spoiler, but not really) lost his wife and child in a fire - but I think I felt worse about his circumstance than he did.
I understand that this runs counter to my love of devastating fiction. Through the lens of many I will likely loose whatever cool points (not a ton) that I have accrued over time. But this one just wasn’t it for me. Here’s how I feel about the four Denis Johnson books i’ve read. Keep in mind that I love all of these titles. He is great at naming books.
Jesus’ Son 😯
The Largesse of the Sea Maiden 😐
Angels 🤗
Train Dreams 🙄
Don’t get me wrong. Denis Johnson is a master story teller. He has that gift. The one where a writer effortlessly throws the reader right in the middle of the shit. His stories all come through in high contrast black and white. Stamped with that Iowa Writers’ Workshop - almost patented - doom & gloom, like his fellow alumni - Carver, Cheever and Roth. There must be something in the water.
That brings me to the crux of the issue. Am I really out on Denis Johnson? Or have I just hit my quota of dark, brooding, minimalist fiction? When do you pack it in with an author? What am I missing?
I have owned his National Book Award winning novel Tree of Smoke for a few years now. It’s a behemoth (720p) that I have never been able to muster the courage to open. It’s the most intimidating book I own. I pick it up and flip through it often. Maybe once a week. I’ve heard it’s amazing. I plan on taking it and putting it in a dark corner of my basement, under or inside some long forgotten boxes. I hope to forget about it, only to uncover it years down the road when everything is different, but still exactly the same. Maybe then I will be able to give it a fair shake.
For now, I am done with Denis Johnson.
What writers have you given up on? Let me know in the comments. Let it be known that I have also given up on Cormac McCarthy. Blood Meridian is the only book in the past 10+ years that I have stopped midway through. But that’s a whole other post.
Peace and love to you all.