Bullet in the Brain by Tobias Wolff

 

You're killin' me, Smalls!

This is an easy five stars and about as close to short-story perfection as you can get.

Now, you might be wondering why on earth I’m using a movie still from the 90s classic The Sandlot in reference to Bullet in the Brain by Tobias Wolff. But if you’ve read this wildly popular, endlessly anthologized story, you might already sense the connection.

Maybe.

What’s funny is that I read this story years ago and it barely registered with me at the time. Amazing what rereading mixed with a few extra years of life can do. Suddenly something you thought you understood becomes sharper, funnier, and more emotionally resonant. 

It’s nearly impossible to talk about this story without wandering into spoiler territory, but I will say this much: the turning point is jaw-droppingly good. It’s the kind of WTF moment that makes you sit up a little straighter because you realize Wolff isn't messing around here. He’s pulling off a narrative trick that feels both effortless and deeply meaningful. The protagonist’s obsession with pointing out clichés becomes Wolff’s clever setup for subverting every expectation you thought you had about narrative storytelling. 

The dark humor is another aspect worth noting. It’s dry, sharp, and delivered with the kind of precision that keeps the first half brisk and wickedly funny. That tight control really matters, because when the story suddenly swerves into these luminous childhood memories, the incongruity of the first-half hits even harder. One minute you’re laughing at the protagonist’s snarky observations while waiting in line at the bank, and the next you’re dropped into this soft-focus nostalgia that feels like it belongs to an entirely different story.

There's some sort of narrative paradox going on here. The tonal and narrative shift shouldn’t work, but Wolff pulls it off so cleanly. Everything snaps into place, everything comes full circle, and you’re left wondering how he managed to guide your emotions so seamlessly from cynicism to something unexpectedly moving. 

I’m not nearly smart enough to tell you how Wolff makes this all work, but the effect is unmistakable: it’s literary magic by someone with absolute command of his craft.

You can read this story HERE.