Rashmi bookmarks “Tenth of December”

‘Tenth of December’ is a collection of short stories by George Saunders. This is the first time I have read (and, honestly, heard of) this author, and quite liked the stories. While not all stories were equally memorable (ironically, I cannot remember the theme of the title story), some really stood out.

One of them was ‘Sticks’, the story recounted by a child of his father’s bizarre habit of decorating a pole in the front yard. In a very short and tight story, we see the entire arc of a man’s life from normal, happy times to a descent to oddity and eventually, madness.

Another really good story was ‘Exhortation’. Describing a lengthy memo from Todd, the boss of a group of employees of Room 6, this story will find resonance with anyone who works at a set job, in a set office environment, doing work that is questionable at best and detestable at worst, reporting in to one who is the epitome of all the fake clichés that make up the typical less than ideal, low-level manager.

‘Escape from Spiderhead’ was another remarkable story. It is the story of Jeff, who has been sent to an experimental prison where inhabitants are used to test new pharmaceuticals. Through an experiment to determine the strength of love, a very touching tale of humans and their humanity unfolds. From complete apathy to an all consuming love to an ultimate self sacrifice - under varying degrees of influence of very potent drugs - the tragic satire of this story was a sharp eye-opener.

The story that really drove home a point rooted in current social and moral decadence was ‘The Semplica Girl Diaries’, my absolute favourite in this collection. Brilliantly narrated through diary entries, this is the story of a 40-year old middle class man, and his twisted efforts to do the best for his family … I say ‘twisted’ because this is a brutally frank picture of, and a scathing comment on society at its materialistic worst.

Spurred by a sudden lottery win, the man decides to emulate the ‘Joneses’ and upgrade his family’s lifestyle. In the series of events that follows, every act is seen to have a deeper aspect lurking in the shadows. “I, Gropius”, the reality TV show is as funny as it is at a ridiculous nadir of social decadence. Of course the most brutal example of this is the lawn ornament where girls - immigrants / foreign workers - are exhibited on front yards, literally joined at the heads by a surgically inserted microline that runs through their brain. This is a society where such a brutal practice is considered the height of wealth and class. This is the society that rises in righteous indignation against “foreigners taking away our jobs”. And when the girls escape, this is the society that actually wonders at the shortsightedness of women who thus squander the chance at a good life.

The story raises a lot of very contemporary concerns, and this short blog cannot hope to justifiably address them all.

A very good read.