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Jul
07
Just Read It: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN by Adam Ross
2011 at 5am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Published June 28, 2011 by Knopf
Adam Ross’s Ladies and Gentlemen begins with an epigraph from George Eliot: “Cruelty, like every other vice, requires no motive outside of itself; it only requires opportunity.” The seven stories that follow are a meditation on the ways in which we deceive, betray, and harm each other simply because we can.
Not light stuff, this.
Dark is what Ross does, and as we saw in his 2010 debut novel Mr. Peanut, he does it remarkably well. The characters who populate Ladies and Gentlemen are complex, cunning, and duplicitous; their relationships nuanced, complicated, brimming with secrets and unspoken fears. They lie to each other for sport, make fools of each other for entertainment, and make reckless decisions with little regard for consequences. Yet they are compelling—even, in some cases, charming—in all their imperfection, and Ross’s ability to explore the underside of all kinds of relationships is noteworthy.
Ladies and Gentlemen, nearly complete at the time of Mr. Peanut‘s publication, is not so much a follow-up effort as a companion piece. As tight and economical as Mr. Peanut was winding and dense, this collection establishes Ross as a writer unconstrained by format, one who doesn’t need the bells and whistles, twists and turns, regardless of how skillfully he deploys them. Highly recommended.
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I love the way you described this as “a meditation on the ways in which we deceive, betray, and harm each other simply because we can.” This sounds like a fantastic read — I kind of have a thing for dark books. I mean the light and fluffy are fun, but the dark ones are the ones that really stay with me. Definitely adding this to my TBR list!
I’m all over this one. Haven’t had an opportunity to read Mr. Peanut yet, but I adore short stories, think they’re highly underrated nowadays, and Ross’s subject matter is right up my alley.
Going on the wishlist!
Andi´s last [type] ..An Elegy for Amelia Johnson
[...] motives.” One of Adam’s biggest supporters, Rebecca of the wildly popular Book Lady’s Blog, says: “this collection establishes Ross as a writer unconstrained by format, one who doesn’t need [...]