nomadreader

The backstory: Elizabeth Crane is the lone author who has had a place on my list of favorite writers without writing a novel. Until now. I've read and adored all three of her short story collections: When the Messenger Is Hot, All This Heavenly Glory , and  You Must Be This Happy to Enter ( my review ). The basics: We Only Know So Much  is the story of the Copeland family: 98-year-old Vivian; her son Theodore, whose memory is quickly fading; his son Gordon, who incessantly quotes Wikipedia; his wife, Jean, who is having an affair with a man in her book club; their daughter Priscilla, who is a self-absorbed teenager who dreams of being on reality tv; and their son Otis, who is nine and smart beyond his years. These four generations of Copelands all live in the same house. They share little else besides their obliviousness for one another. My thoughts: As a reader, I often hear others exclaim, "the book was so good I didn't want it to end!" I've rarely shared th...

This statement will be sacrilege to many of you: I do not normally read short stories. I am a devoted New Yorker reader, and I often don't finish the short story in each issue. I don't seek out short story collections to read. I'm not quite sure why I have an aversion to short stories, and I'm trying to be better. Personal backstory: I discovered Elizabeth Crane, one of my favorite authors, when her first book of short stories, When the Messenger is Hot , was first published. I read a glowing review in Entertainment Weekly and immediately requested it from the library. When I picked it up, I realized it was short stories. I reread the review, and I decided to read it. To this day, it's one of my favorite books. I eagerly read her second collection of stories, All This Heavenly Glory , and I finally got around to reading her third collection, You Must Be This Happy to Enter . Review: Short story collections are difficult to review. I'll say this: the firs...