Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Sea Oak Review

I don't even understand what this story is, or why it was written in the first place, but I loved reading every line of it. The characters and their personalities struck me as incredibly unique. The tone and diction of the piece was also accurate in creating a grimy, dirty, Vegas style strip club. At times I could almost taste cigarette smoke. Saunders also did an excellent job at revealing the setting and characters gradually, which in turn created a hook that lasted throughout the piece.

In response to Aunt Bernie's character, I almost got the sense that she was a post-information age decaying Oracle of Delphi. Her character spoke the unspoken but needed truth, which allowed readers to see the cracks and flaws in this story's society. Through her dialogue, and her mechanic in the story, I was able to see where that society made monumental mistakes with their values. By having her fall apart in response to the events of the story, the reader was given an indicator as to when they should feel "off" about certain things. For example, with her head, shoulders, and nearly all other appendages in her lap, Aunt Bernie's second dying words were "Show your cock." Am I the only person who finds this as odd?

If I were to read this story maybe one or two more times, then I would probably have more collected thoughts on this, but until then the only one left in my head is simply "Wow."

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