![]() There are some real highs in the rest of Sorry Please Thank You. Interspersed with the more abstract moments. Story, the stakes – all of that groundwork had either been laid earlier, or was ![]() Worked because it was part of the larger whole. This sort of speculative thought experiment won’t be unfamiliar to fans Writing to his alternate selves, the setting being the piece of paper on which Again, the story occurs in a sort of void, the action being a man Questions and a sort of science-fictional philosophical inquiry into multipleĭimensions. “Note to Self” gets all twisted up with rhetorical It’s hard to get invested in a person whose ![]() Same emotional power, but since the character knows neither himself nor his In these later sections, we also get “Inventory” and “Note to Self,”īoth of which follow the trend “Troubleshooting” establishes of largely “Hero,” and manages some genuinely funny and touching moments. Of his talent for creating emotionally satisfying characters to populate Little disappointing to see Yu, who has proven himself so capable of doingĮntirely original work, walk such a well-trodden path. The idea is one that’s been explored by a number of writers, and it was a Takes Major Damage” is a fine story about characters in a role-playing video Even though there’s no realĭescription or action, the story succeeded for me on the strength of itsĪt this point the collection turns into a bit of a mixed bag. Than he is, but doesn’t know what that means. “Troubleshooting” relies on a confessional voice to build aĬharacter who is ultimately sympathetic – a man who simply desires to be better A story without a real story, itĬonsiders a man presented with a device that would allow him to make whatever Hard to pull off, but Yu makes it look easy. The story works well, and is funny-sad in a way that’s Mega-mart clerk dealing with a zombie woman who has come in to shop for makeupĪnd clothes for a date. Next we get “First Person Shooter,” about a It’s a heart-breaking story that alsoĭoes a lot of solid world-building. He goes to work andĮxperiences root-canals, funerals, break-ups and broken legs so that hisĬompany’s wealthy clients won’t have to. Suffer other people’s unpleasant moments for them. With “Standard Loneliness Package,” a story about a wage-slave whose job is to The collection is broken into sections: “Sorry,” “Please,” “Thank You,”Īnd, “All of the Above.” “Sorry” starts the book off on a high note. Same stylistic tools, sometimes succeeding fantastically, but suffers when itīogs down in the meandering to the exclusion of all else. With involving narrative and character development. Non-fiction confessionalism with science fiction, and philosophical meandering With his last book book, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, which deservingly landed on a number of awards lists, Yu created something unique by blending a sort of Good display in his new collection of stories, Sorry Please Thank You, but the book isn’t without its Charles Yu’s wit, inventiveness, and raw, emotional openness are all on
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