777. Anagrams

Anagrams
Lorrie Moore
1986
Around 230 pages

Well, that snuck up on me. I had never heard of Lorrie Moore, or Anagrams. Isn't it magical how your new favorite book could always be around the corner?

This is a difficult novel to summarize. Moore mixes and matches three characters, Gerard, Benna, and Eleanor, first in a sequence of short scenes, then in a longer narrative. So the main characters function like letters in an anagram. 

This was a genuinely laugh out loud funny novel that contained deep moments of philosophical observation. A story like this might seem gimmicky, but I thought she executed this unique concept brilliantly. Just a delight to read from start to finish, and what a jaw-dropping ending.

I was also surprised by how modern the story felt, we really are getting on in years.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Her first story to appear in The New Yorker, "You're Ugly, Too," was later included in The Best American Short Stories of the Century, edited by John Updike.

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