Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 2, 1995 TAG: 9506300123
SECTION: BOOKS PAGE: A-14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: REVIEWED BY KATHLEEN RATLIFF
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In his latest collection of short stories, John Updike displays his incomparable skill in exploring the lives of the middle-aged. As in his other works, Updike's latest reads somewhat autobiographical, as his keen perception of the thoughts and personalities of his characters weave through the vignettes of his older heroes.
Many of these 22 stories involve couples who seek lives other than their current tedious ones. Death and near-death are prevalent throughout this collection. So is new life. It's a close balance.
In the title story, Carter Billings and his wife visit friends in England, where he narrowly escapes disaster in a fall down darkened stairs, followed by a devastating storm which, when finally ending, creates a luminous haze over the countryside. He compares the startling sight to the glow of an afterlife. Carter feels lucky to have survived the fall as well as the crushing storm.
The humorous "Tristan and Iseult" is deceiving as Updike playfully leads us down a seemingly sexual path teeming with lustful nuances, only to find he has been teasing with descriptions of female dental-hygienists engaged in periodontal procedures, not "women of the night." Few but Updike could be so clever and cunning.
Updike takes us to new life as he witnesses the birth of a grandchild and the "afterbirth" in the compelling story, "Grandparenting." All of the selections are rife with every other element of feeling and emotion: Infidelity, family, music, divorce, travel and the omnipresent heart problems. Updike, with an incredible insight into the frailties and strengths of human beings has "something for everyone" in "The Afterlife."
Kathleen Ratliff lives in Roanoke.
by CNB