Hurricanes Anonymous by Adam Johnson
Yeah, I have no idea what to say about this short story. Other than that it might be the longest short story I've ever read. Or maybe it just seems that way because I really didn't like it. Basically, Hurricanes Anonymous is about a UPS driver living in Louisiana. His son is left mysteriously in his truck by his ex-girlfriend and the story begins after he has been taking care of the child for some time. The plot revolves around the main character, Nonc, and the relationships he has with his current girlfriend, his son, and his father after Hurricane Katrina.
While I'm pretty sure that my dislike of this story stems from a misunderstanding of the message, an unfortunate side - effect of this dislike is that I can't pull apart the story in very many ways.
There are some great instances of cajun culture in the narrative, including the origin of Nonc's name and something of his family. I always have to admire how great authors can so easily incorporate a whole culture into a few words dribbled into a handful of sentences. Johnson never went into a lot of depth, but he sketched in enough of a world to understand that Nonc comes from a different subculture than most. Doing that in a subtle way is a real skill.
I wish I had more to say as a writer. Maybe after a class discussion I'll have a greater respect for it.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
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Adam Johnson,
Fiction,
Hurricane Katrina,
Hurricanes Anonymous
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