Deal Me in Challenge: The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges

“A man sets out to draw the world. As the years go by, he peoples a space with images of provinces, kingdoms, mountains, bays, ships, islands, fishes, rooms, instruments, stars, horses, and individuals. A short time before he dies, he discovers that the patient labyrinth of lines traces the lineaments of his own face.”

My first diamond card and the first short-story from the DMI challenge to receive 5 stars!

Borges is a literary magician and his writing is unlike anything I have ever encountered before. Reading The Aleph feels like stepping into a lucid yet incomprehensible dream: a surreal and metaphysical journey into the unknown full of symbolism, metaphorical conceits and mysticism all wrapped up in a complex puzzle with no easy answers. If that wasn't confusing enough, Borges actually writes himself into the story so not only are we as readers presented with a self-reflexive meta-narrative, the paradoxical relationship between art and fiction becomes even more pronounced. Trying to unravel the many mysteries and high concept ideas embedded within the narrative is part of the fun. 

His dazzling poetic prose and sophisticated language can be difficult to grasp at first but it also helps to read slowly, taking the time to immerse yourself in his world. His writing might be challenging but the reader will certainly be rewarded by putting in the extra effort. There is so much to unpack in this story that would require a much longer review on my part and I am currently not feeling up the task. Perhaps I will write a more extensive analysis at some point but for now I just want to luxuriate in that sublime feeling of reading such a mind-blowing piece of writing. One of the defining characteristics of great literature for me is being able to read a work multiple times and still derive pleasure from discovering something new. Borges is one of those gifted writers capable of crafting some of the most mesmerizing and otherworldly stories that reveal more layers of meaning with each new reading. 

You might be asking yourself, what exactly is an Aleph? Well, the details are somewhat ambiguous but it is a mythical device that essentially allows a person to view the entire universe all at once. Pretty cool stuff. Borges has a lot of fun playing around with this plot device, exploring a wide range of literary discourses and philosophical ideas such as aesthetics, art as representation, history, memories, perception, epistemology, unrequited love, poetry, the creative power of language, concepts of time and space, infinity. As I mentioned earlier, there is a lot going on here. Borges incorporates more story ideas complexities into a few pages than most authors do in an entire novel. 

This is one of those masterful stories worth revisiting again and again. 

Deal Me in Challenge: "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison

Card Drawn:

Jelly beans! Jelly beans for all!

My first club card from the deck and this was a weird one. Like, really really weird. I should have expected as much since this is Harlan Ellison we are talking about here who is basically the king of weirdness and the macabre. It is no surprise to me whatsoever that he is a huge influence on Stephen King. Both authors specialize in the uncanny, the bizarre and of course, horror. Without knowing anything about this story, an unusual title like "Repent Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman" conceivably suggests something peculiar and comical, which this story certainly delivers in spades (or should I say, delivers in clubs? ha!). 

This is the second story that I have read by this author and definitely enjoyed it a lot more than "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," a very unsettling story where an omniscient A.I. supercomputer has imprisoned the last of humanity. The premise is fascinating but his writing style did not always work for me. Similar to "Repent Harlequin,"  Ellison's literary imagination and big concept ideas take precedence but his writing style actually feels more acute and cohesive; his story-telling more focused instead of inchoate in execution. Beginning in medias res, the narrative then moves backwards before jumping forward to its conclusion, which makes thematic sense since the manipulation of 'time' plays such an important role in the story. Imagine a world where your time on earth is predetermined from birth and controlled by an imposing authoritative figure called the Ticktockman. He is known as the "Master Timekeeper" who tracks everyone's time-card connected to implanted cardioplates in their body to ensure people are never late or caught stealing time by not being productive. Those who violate these laws are severely punished, either by him removing the exact time from your life for being tardy or turning off your cardioplate, which kills you. The actual origin of the Ticktockman is never revealed but there is a reference to a war going on with the underlying implication that maximum efficiency is integral to achieving victory. Humanity has become lazy and unproductive. Self-preservation at the expense of others will inevitably cause our own self-destruction. Thus, the Ticktockman becomes a metaphorical representation of Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan: an absolute monarch ruling over the people in a totalitarian society where people have abandoned their freedom and consciousness in exchange for safety, stability and order.

Enter the Harlequin, a lone revolutionary and folk-hero of the people seeking to dismantle the Ticktockman's tyrannical regime ("the ones who kept the machine functioning smoothly"). The anti-capitalist social commentary becomes quite explicit. He disrupts the entire natural order of things and sabotages the set time schedules by creating clever diversions. However, his acts of rebellion and subterfuge are not violent; rather, he engages in various pranks and comical high-jinks. For example, one of his pranks is to drop millions of jelly beans on the crowds below who are all lined up like mechanical drones waiting to go inside the factory to work, throwing everyone into a total frenzy and causing a delay in production for days. No wonder he is given the name of Harlequin as he becomes the most wanted man in the world. Although shifts in tone between farce and seriousness can be jarring at times, Ellison's dark humor remains most pervasive. I am still not sure what to make of the ironic ending that left me slightly confused but somehow it also makes sense?

Strangely enough, the more I reflect upon this story, the more it grows in my esteem.

Note: I re-read this story again in February 2023 and absolutely loved it. My initial 3 star rating is far too low--this deserves 5 stars and is now one of my absolute favorites. Welcome to the Hall of Fame.

Deal Me in Challenge: Where I Live by Kurt Vonnegut (1964)

Card Drawn:

“Do you realize that all great literature is all about what a bummer it is to be a human being? Isn’t it such a relief to have somebody say that?” - K.V.

Another spade card, ha!

I must say, this one really threw me for a loop and not in a good way. Kurt Vonnegut has such a distinct voice with his sardonic wit, playful humor and biting satire but in this story, we get none of that. Instead, Vonnegut presents us with a dry and dull tour guide of a seaside town called Barnstable County located on Cape Cod. That's about it, nothing else of real importance happens. "Where I Live" appears first in his excellent collection of short-stories Welcome to the Monkey House and stands out as the weakest and most uncharacteristic work by this talented author that I have encountered thus far. 

The story ostensibly starts off with an encyclopedia salesman traveling to Cape Cod to sell some updated Britannica's to the county library's board of directors. Perhaps not the most interesting premise out there but if anyone can make this work it is Kurt Vonnegut who has proven countless times that he is a clever story-teller with a knack for the unexpected. Right? Nope. I am still not sure what Vonnegut was trying to achieve with this story. At first I thought that he might be attempting to write a satiric encyclopedia entry on Cape Cod but even that seems like a stretch to me. This is a completely forgettable story overshadowed by so many other fantastic stories in this collection. 

Deal Me in Challenge: The Possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson

Judge not yet ye be judged...

Most people would probably agree that Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is one of the finest short stories ever written (you will hear no argument from me on that front) so I was curious to see what else she might have up her sleeve and this story did not disappoint. She set the bar exceedingly high with "The Lottery" so anything else is bound to be a letdown in comparison. Therefore, it is probably best to temper your expectations before reading this one. Not to say that The Possibility of Evil is disappointing or a lousy piece of writing, on the contrary--there is plenty to admire here, reaffirming Shirley Jackson's talents as a great short-story writer. Similar to what we find in "The Lottery", she is cleverly deceptive in her narrative approach, often portraying different aspects of ordinary life but subverts the reader's expectations by revealing that everything may not be what they seem on the surface. Indeed, ordinary people who might have the best intentions are fully capable of committing some of the most terrible acts. I have also noticed that her stories also tend to share an underlying sinister tone lurking just beneath the surface, ready to erupt at any given moment, which makes for a captivating read. 

Miss Adela Strangeworth lives in a small town and is recognized by many people as a venerable matriarch of the community; she knows everybody's business and prides herself on being a sanctimonious Christian woman who believes it is her duty to condemn any wrong-doing or immoral behavior she sees by writing people anonymous letters. Moral of the story: mind your own business and don't meddle in other people's affairs because karma has a funny way of coming back to haunt you. The ironic ending is what gives the story its iconoclastic sharpness but I also can't help but feel that Jackson does not go far enough in showing the retribution for self-righteousness and human cruelty.

Deal Me In Challenge: The Lawnmower Man by Stephen King

 Card Drawn:

That tagline is hilarious.

Another spade card and also my first short story by Stephen King. As one of the most popular and successful authors on the planet, he is inextricably associated with the horror genre. Admittedly, I have never been a big fan of his work and The Lawnmower Man does not exactly help to persuade me otherwise. This is not a slight against him and has more to do with my own personal preferences--he is undoubtedly talented and knows how to write a compelling story filled with plenty of scares along the way. His twisted imagination is the stuff of nightmares. I honestly have no idea how he manages to come up with so many of these weird and macabre stories. 

The 'Lawnmower man' himself is a demonic and vile creature that only Stephen King could conjure. However, the actual story turned out to be a little too silly for my liking and quickly veers into screwball antics instead of delivering any spine-tingling thrills. Rather, it was actually more shocking to me for its absurdity and gratuitous violence than anything else. Then again, horror is all subjective, right? I am sure that others might have a different reaction and find it completely terrifying. What is most scary to me is that this humdrum story was adapted into a feature length film in the 1990's starring a young Pierce Brosnon! I'm somewhat curious to see how terrible this will be.

If you are looking for a story containing deep layers of meaning or complexity, look elsewhere. King is far more interested in shock value and transporting the reader into his nefarious depiction of suburban life. As a a staunch defender of genre fiction, this story along with many of King's other works would not be traditionally considered "serious literature" although I find such notions to be elitist and quite egregious. Personally, any work of art, especially literature, ought to stand on its own merits regardless of genre. Unfortunately, this story failed to resonant with me on any level, whether it be emotionally (not enough scares) or in a thought-provoking way. I will still probably read more Stephen King at some point since there has to be some hidden gems in his extensive short-story collections.

Please let me know in the comments below if you have any other Stephen King recommendations!

Deal Me In Challenge: The Skylight Room by O. Henry (1906)

Card Drawn:

Comfy, cozy.

Up until now I have been impressed with the level of consistently well written stories turned out by Mr. O. Henry. I like to think of him as the M. Night Shyamalan of short story writers who is also notorious for his twist endings. Sometimes they are perfectly executed as seen in the "Gift of the Magi" and "The Cactus" and sometimes they fall flat--unfortunately, the "Skylight Room" belongs to the latter category. A young working woman moves into a boarding house run by a boisterous landlady and it is also occupied by some colorful characters. She is struggling financially as a typist and can only afford the cheapest room on the top floor: a tiny and cramped space with a skylight.  

The author drops hints that she is impoverished and perhaps suffers from health issues. One night as the female protagonist is looking up through the skylight, she sees a star and names it Billy Jackson much to the annoyance of another female lodger who is well-educated in astronomy. Remember this name because it becomes important during the climactic scene when the BIG TWIST is revealed. However, the ending left me scratching my head in bewilderment because it comes across as laughably contrived without any substantial payoff. It's almost as if O. Henry came up with the ending first and somehow thought it was a good idea. He then developed the story backwards relying on serendipity instead of plausibility. A total misfire.

Deal Me in Challenge: The Waltz by Dorothy Parker (1933)

Card Drawn:

"Excuse me, may I have your hand for this dance?"

Call it luck of the draw if you will but I'm starting off with a really strong card as my first short-story for the Deal Me in Challenge (2020 edition). Having encountered the writing of Dorothy Parker once before during the challenge a few years ago with the slightly underwhelming story entitled "Oh! He's Charming!", it was a pleasant surprise to discover how much more I enjoyed The Waltz. The most striking aspect of this story is that the takes places entirely within the female narrator's own mind where the reader is effectually drawn into the glitz and glamour of an upper-class soiree through a clever series of impressions. Parker eschews with exposition or using many adjectives to set the scene; rather, the reader gets a clear sense of the context primarily through the narrator's flustered thoughts, feelings, and reactions. One can imagine a packed fancy ballroom venue with large chandeliers, sophisticated men and women dressed in their finest evening clothes while sipping champagne, people sitting around tables absorbed in conversation surrounded by clouds of cigarette smoke and a string quartet playing a beautiful concerto on stage. Yet, even though Parker provides none of these details, the strength of her writing is the ability to conjure up these kind of images solely through the narrator's funny, cheeky and cynical inner dialogue. 

We are immediately given the impression that she is a young woman at a dance and placed in the uncomfortable position of being courted by a man who is eager to win her affection. Much to her chagrin she wishes to be left alone but is socially obligated to accept his offer to dance, which she amusingly refers to as the "Danse macabre." In other words, this 'dance of death' obviously takes on a figurative meaning since she anticipates that it will be a painful experience akin to death but also hints at the possibility that the mere act of dancing with this man will ultimately lead to her own metaphorical death since she fears being forced into a relationship with him or even worse, marriage. Considering that this story was published in the New Yorker on September 2, 1933, a lot of women still lacked autonomy and were expected to conform to patriarchal gender norms. Now that I am a little more familiar with Dorothy Parker's work and thematic concerns, she is unequivocally a progressive feminist and not take kindly to men who assert power over women. Her social critique of female gender roles is unflinchingly caustic and is often quite comical laced with underlying dark humor.

In a series of playful and whimsical tableaus, we find out that the male partner is a terrible dancer and kicks her shin by accident. However, she interprets this gesture as a conscious act to flirt. Again, her reactions to the awkward situation and vehement chastising of the man in her head while dancing with him is very funny. She has to remain coy and apologetic, taking the blame for his embarrassing inability to perform the waltz but inside she is seething with resentment. She even describes his dancing as possessing a "degenerate cunning" and is perceptively aware about his true intentions, seeing right through the ruse. Poor girl, dancing with him is like being tortured in hell for all eternity. Her frustration and annoyance is palpable. She desperately wants to get away but is trapped. Additionally, she makes several football analogies, as if their dance is reminiscent of a rough game of scrimmage. She continually curses him out in her head as he knocks her over or gets his feet twisted up with hers in the dance but again, she must appear sincere and demure in his presence. Parker's derisive commentary and sardonic mockery of male chauvinism is the highlight of the story. Of course, the brilliant irony here is that she feels inclined to constantly compliment her male counterpart and ask him to keep dancing instead of truly speaking her mind or storming off in a fury. Parker does an excellent job of infusing irony, showcasing an acerbic wit and successfully writing a sharp satire on male and female relationships as they engage in the proverbial "waltz" of courtship.

'Deal Me In' 2020 – A Short Story Reading Challenge!

Woah, it has been over three years since I last posted on this blog! It sure feels good to be back. Certainly, a lot of big changes have happened in my life since then and although my reading habits have fallen by the wayside due to time constraints and other commitments, my passion for literature has never waned. I can't think of a better way to get back into the groove of reading and writing reviews again then to participate in the 10th annual "Deal Me In Challenge" hosted by Jay at Bibliophilopolis! I have taken on this challenge several times over the years (completing it once but fell drastically behind in writing reviews), discovering a much deeper understanding and appreciation for the art of the short story. Considering my busy schedule and reduced attention span, reading short stories seems far less daunting and more manageable under the present circumstances. I'm excited to see what 2020 brings and my goal is to start reading more to revitalize this blog back from the dead. So, without further delay, let's begin!

What is the goal of this challenge?

To read 52 short stories in 2020 (that’s only one per week – versions with a lesser story requirement are noted below)

What do I need?
1) Access to at least fifty-two short stories (don’t own any short story collections or anthologies? See links to online resources below).
2) A deck of cards.
3) An average of perhaps just thirty minutes of reading time each week.
It's fun and not time consuming so what are you waiting for? Join up! 

My four categories this year will be: Random, Science-Fiction, Murakami + Borges and Women Writers. Additionally, some of my selections are from previous challenges that I never got around to reading. 

Spades: Random

A - The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

2 - The School by Donald Barthelme

3 - The Lawnmower Man by Stephen King

4 - When Everyone was Pregnant by John Updike

5 - Where I Live by Kurt Vonnegut

6 - Quiet Please by Aimee Bender

7 - The Landlady by Roald Dahl

8 - Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin

9 - The Skylight Room by O. Henry

10 - For Esme--with Love and Squalor by J.D. Salinger

J - Red-Headed Baby by Langston Hughes

Q - The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

K - The Man Who Was Almost a Man by Richard Wright

Clubs: Science-Fiction

A - When it Changed by Joanna Russ

2 - Tideline by Elizabeth Bear

3 - And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side by James Tiptree Jr. 

4 - Jokester by Isaac Asimov

5 - Learning to be Me by Greg Egan 

6 - Poor Yorick by Theodore Sturgeon

7 - Explorers We by Philip K. Dick

8 - "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison

9 - The Wife's Story by Ursula Le Guin

10 - Non-Zero Probabilities by N.K. Jemisin 

J - Lost Leonardo by J.G. Ballard

Q - The Evening and the Morning and the Night by Octavia Butler

K - Johnny Mnemonic by William Gibson

Diamonds: Murakami and Borges (Literature in Translation)

A - A Perfect Day for Kangaroos by Haruki Murakami 

2 - Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges

3 - Dabchick by Haruki Murakami

4 - The Garden of Forking Paths by Jorge Luis Borges

5 - The Ice Man by Haruki Murakami 

6 - Death and the Compass by Jorge Luis Borges

7 - New York Mining Disaster 1941 by Haruki Murakami

8 - The Immortal by Jorge Luis Borges

9 - Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami

10 - Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius by Jorge Luis Borges

J - The Year of Spaghetti by Haruki Murakami

Q - The Circular Ruins by Jorge Luis Borges

K - The Birthday Girl by Haruki Murakami

Hearts: Women Writers

A - The Possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson

2 - Significant Moments in the Life of my Mother by Margaret Atwood

3 - Subject to Search by Lorrie Moore

4 - Shopping by Joyce Carol Oates

5 - Don't Look Now by Daphne Du Maurier

6 - The Doll's House by Katherine Mansfield

7 - Her Sweet Jerome by Alice Walker

8 - The Gilded Six-Bits by Zora Neale Hurston

9 - Girl by Jamaica Kincaid

10 - Gorilla, My Love by Toni Cade Bambara

J - White Rat by Gayl Jones

Q - A Worn Path by Eudora Welty  
K - The Waltz by Dorothy Parker

Deal Me in Challenge: Blossom: Priestess of Oya, Goddess of Winds, Storms and Waterfall by Dionne Brand

Card Drawn:

Oya: Tempest, Guardian of the Cemetery, Winds of Change, Storms and Progression.

And the winner for the longest short-story title goes to...

Dionne Brand's Blossom makes for a great companion piece to Austin Clarke's Canadian Experience that I read last year for the DMI challenge. Both authors write about the immigrant experience in Canada from an Afro-centric perspective and while they each present the difficulties associated with assimilating into a dominant white culture that promotes systematic oppression, Brand is more optimistic than Clarke, playing with the supernatural in Gothic fiction to reclaim a sense of autonomy for the disenfranchised immigrant rather than victimization. Brand reinvents the "cultural other" by subverting problematic racial stereopyes; more specifically, the "black mad woman" that is a common trope found in Gothic literature, with the most popular example being Bertha from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Madness is racialized and gendered in this novel with Bertha being the archetypal villain from the Caribbean. Insanity is prone to violence and madness does not payoff for Bertha in the end (my apologies to those who have not read this novel but to think that a crazy black woman locked up in an attic will somehow escape unscathed in a 19th century Gothic text would be naive). At the time that Bronte was writing, black people from the colonial islands were seen as cannibals or savages that practiced black magic/voodoo and was therefore one of the many reasons that justified colonialism as a way to bring Christianity to these heathens, cleansing them from evil spirits. However, in Brand's story, the 'black mad woman' motif is not represented negatively but rather as a source of agency reflected in the black immigrant experience. In fact, Brand's depiction of madness is comical and empowering, allowing a new space for cultural identity.

The protagonist, Blossom, is trying to achieve upward social mobility as an immigrant similar to George in Clarke's Canadian Experience but she too fails because of racial discrimination. However, unlike George, she has to deal with female gender barriers. As a struggling immigrant trying to make ends meet, she works in many service positions with one of them being a maid for a white employer who tries to sexually assault her. Of course, as a rich white man, he sees her as his "property" like a slave and is under the impression that there can be consequences for his actions. Wrong! You messed with the wrong black woman, dude. Blossom resists her attacker by grabbing his neck in a similar way Bertha attacks Rochester in Jane Eyre. This assault precipitates Blossom's madness that develops into an act of rebellion, bringing about real resistance to white hegemony. It is also ironic that she calls on a Christian God to ask for help. In a rather funny scene, Blossom and her friends begin protesting in front of the white man's house with picket signs, proclaiming that he is a rapist, which obviously draws a lot of attention in this rich white neighborhood. Hence, resistance through madness.

Later on, we find out that Blossom is having marital problems with a deadbeat husband and during one of their fights, she chases him down the street with a bread-knife, threatening to cut off his genitals. Once again, Brand infuses comedy within the serious subject matter,  Blossom's madness continuing to be a type of emotional and spiritual release from societal pressures. Madness is a vehicle to independence and catharsis; a way of negotiating pain. She is not a woman silenced by society like Bertha and will fight back until she eventually "blossoms" into an Obeah woman (a clever play on words by Brand), which refers to a Caribbean woman who practices black magic or sorcery. For Blossom, this spiritual transformation is redemptive and signifies a return to cultural origins; an effective strategy to survive immigration. Obeah started as an African practice that was grounded in spiritual cosmology. Just to reiterate a previous point, these foreign cultural practices were seen as forms of sorcery and witchcraft as a means to justify colonial rule (ideologically speaking). Furthermore, Obeah and other spiritual leaders were seen as a threat to colonizers since they had the power to organize revolts so it was imperative to discredit them. Since the Obeah has been negatively represented in Gothic literature, Brand attempts to reclaim it so as to no longer be associated with racist stereotypes through various inversions. For example, the holy spirit in the Pentecostal church turns into Obeah and enters Blossom where she experiences a "glorified vision." She begins speaking in tongues, influenced by the Priestess of Oya, a goddess worshipped in Nigeria associated with wind and renamed Obeah during the slave trade. Ironically, she finds spiritual transcendence in a Christian paradigm. This is a place of light, hope and harmony, not evil as usually depicted in the Gothic tradition. Not only is she able to bring the black community together with her newfound powers but this cultural reclaimation in Blossom gives her further agency. The pain she experiences as a black female immigrant is ultimately redemptive, using black magic to heal and protect others. Her panoramic transcendent vision puts her in direct contact with the marginalized black community and she begins to understand the history of black suffering.

One of the most striking aspects of this story is the Brand's use of language that reflects a West Indies patois and vernacular. The improper use of syntax and grammatical errors, especially with pronouns, are deliberate; a way for Brand to subvert English conventions of language and reclaim a cultural way of speaking. In essence, Blossom is able to write her own narrative without outside influence from the white hegemonic culture. As a poet, Brand delivers a unique form of storytelling that often blurs the line between poetry and prose without compromising the narrative or its thematic concerns. An excellent read.