Pure Hollywood by Christine Schutt

Pure Hollywood and Other Stories is a collection by Christine Schutt, whose previous work Florida was a National Book Award finalist, and All Souls, nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Coupled with reviews of high praise made me try this new author.

...This was not for me.

In the eponymous novella Pure Hollywood, a young woman reflects on her marriage to an older comedian in the aftermath of his heart attack. Newly widowed and realizing she owns nothing, she rattles around trying to seek out her childhood home. The Hedges introduce Dick and Lolly, two self obsessed parents neglecting their child on holiday. A Happy Rural Seat of Various View: Lucinda's Garden tells the story of Nick and Pie, caretaking an Aunt's cottage before a mysterious event. Each story gets shorter, until we are down to two or a single page. Her characters move through life without purpose, in directions I found unmemorable; ungrounded.

There are countless books, something for everyone. I read a wide variety, but whatever it is about her acclaimed writing was lost on me. I found myself missing an emotional core. This reminded me of other novels I did connect with and what they offered, not necessarily ones I liked, but which had writing that really stayed with me and characters I am still wondering about. That connection is what I look for in writing and I found none of that here.

Really disappointing.

2018 / Hardcover / 132 pages