I was going to save this gem of a book until a little later in my 12 recommendations, so that I could mix it up a little bit. (Although I maybe slightly biased towards New Zealand women writers, I want to at least appear like I am widely read). But last night my fridge alarm went off three times in the night. Since when did fridges have alarms? What horrific fridge crimes occur to set them off while everyone is sleeping peacefully?
Anyway, each time I was awoken by the beeping stainless steel beast of the night, I stumbled out, pushed a multitude of buttons (when did fridges start needing so many buttons?) until it stopped then returned to my bed with a Singularity short story to aid me back into slumber.
I first discovered Grimshaw through her collection of short stories Opportunity. I love the vague interconnectedness of characters, her slice of varying lives, the divergence of personalities and scenarios. I have heard numerous critics say that short stories are the cop-out of literature. But I disagree, they pose many challenges for the author. There is limited time to satiate your reader. You have to give enough but not too much. It needs to end as quickly and as successfully as it starts. And in a collection of stories such as Singularity, the author has to convincingly portray characters from the very young to the very old, from Los Angeles to the far North of New Zealand. Little samplers of a sundry society. And through Grimshaw’s clever writing ability, society is ever interconnected.
Admittedly I am not enjoying Singularity as much as Opportunity. But it is still a must-read, and perfect to curl up in bed with at the end of one of these crazy long pre-Christmas days. Or after your fridge wakes you up.
My wine match? Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir. Grimshaw’s relation to different sectors of our society requires a bit of reflection, which is perfect to do over a glass of red wine. Mt Difficulty is a little bit spicy, a little bit Christmasy, and aside from that it is all the vogue because it is from Central Otago – where some of the great pinots are hailing from.
That’s all I am going to say today. I am a little too sleep-deprived to extend on my musings, and I have to go and eat everything out of my fridge before the technician comes to take the bleeping thing away.
