I have wanted for some time to read something of Kureishi. I think this might not be his best book. I bought it, probably at the Book fair, and did not realise it was short stories. I do not often read short, but it is always good to venture "out in the blue" sometimes. However, this was not my cup of tea.
Although well written, and concentrating on the difficult theme of love and life, I could not really get into the stories Maybe because the characters are very far away from myself. However, I am sure that a lot of people recognise themselves in the stories. The characters have come over the first youth and realising that they cannot continue living from day to day for the rest of their lives. Most of the characters are part of the cultural life. I guess artistic people are always living a less secure life and have goals driving them further and further and income is irregular if any.
Even so, when you have a settled income, it seems life does not simply settle down. The grass if always greener somewhere else. At the back of the book it says:
The characters that arise from these pages - however damaged, deranged or even despicable they may be - are united by one common trait: they are all creatures driven by strong desires." From the novel
Blue, Blue Pictures of You I found the following quote which seems to sum up the stories.
"A couple of months after Eshan started seeing him in the pub, Brian parted from his casual girlfriends. He went out regularly - it was like a job; and he was the sort of man that women were attracted to in public places. There was hope; every night could take you somewhere new. But Brian was nearly thirty; for a long time hedx had been part of everything new, living not for the present but for the next thing. He was beginning to see how little it had left him, and he was afraid. "
I still will try some of his other books.
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