This short (3 pages) story has, I believe, just the right amount of foreshadowing in the early and middle stages to create tension, to propel the reader forward, to hint at what is to come later, without demanding that the reader KNOW it is going to happen. While essentially a pretty straightforward story, Eno does allow for some playfulness - the second person narration, the inclusion of the French Horn storyline, for instance.
This is the type of story within these pages I'll be most curious to hear what grabbed your attention. The reasoning behind that, wanting to become a better reader myself, there wasn't anything about it that made me think, Unsaid, of course he would send that to David. I liked it quite a bit - that's not the engine behind my comment - it's just the first piece within this issue that I thought, I can think of four or five other journals that would have published this, where frequently when reading Unsaid I can usually only think of a couple of other journals that might have taken a chance with the material.
David:
Eno is one of my favorite writers, period. The stance he takes may appear less "experimental" (whatever that means) than other Unsaid writers, but Eno has exactly the aesthetic that I seek for Unsaid.
His sentences are simple and strong, and perhaps what I like best about Eno is his ability to present an America that is framed by a white picket fence, but always with a looming thundercloud approaching from overhead. His writing is deceptively simple. It is also some of the funniest writing I have ever read. Funny and sad. Accessible but with a great lasting weight.
I bought the last issue of Unsaid. You've convinced me to get this one as well.
Posted by: Curtis Smith | June 18, 2009 at 05:47 PM