Book Review : Will You Please Be Quiet, Please by Raymond Carver

What a find! This is definitely among the finest writing I have had a chance to read.

At the end of the first few chapters, I had to look online for the point of these stories all of which have sudden and open endings. No major event happens in any of the stories. Events that do not seem to be out of the normal in normal people’s lives all of whom are miserable in some way.

Carver once said

“It is possible to write about commonplace things and objects using commonplace but precise language and endow these things — a chair, a window curtain, a fork, a stone, a woman’s earring — with immense, even startling power.”

There aren’t better words to explain his writing. I have never read imagery where each and every single detail so effortlessly conveys so many things. The misery of the characters is relatable and so are their actions(mostly). And most importantly of all, Carver paints very complex emotions through extremely simple words.

I read the last story, the book’s namesake, holding my breath. The tension and the emotions in the story were almost palpable. So real. One rarely finds such well-written in-sync imagery of surroundings and emotions. These are sad stories so well written that you cannot help be in awe of the author’s craft.

Oh, and bonus points for the amazing name! It makes me want to get a life size poster of the book cover.

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