818. Like Life

Like Life
Lorrie Moore
1990

Around 200 pages

We are in the 90s, otherwise known as the decade of Amanda! And we usher in the new decade with Lorrie Moore, who I fell in love with after reading Anagrams. Unfortunately, I could only find a free audio version of this short story collection, which is not my preferred method of consumption. 

This collection (ahem, not a novel, ahem) features eight short stories, all written in Moore's trademark humorous and philosophical style. Her characters are clever and goofy, and she definitely thrives in the short story format, as she is capable of coming up with concise and shrewd lines.

I definitely see myself reading all of her work in the future, once the List makes me stop hanging out with Salman Rushdie.

RATING: *****-

Interesting Facts:

In 1980, Moore enrolled in Cornell University's M.F.A. program, where she was taught by Alison Lurie.

UP NEXT: A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham

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.

UP NEXT: Lost Language of Cranes by David Leavitt