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Happy Stories, Mostly
Norman Erikson Pasaribu
Written by Tobias Carroll, originally published in Words Without Borders
Jun 22, 2023
Happy Stories, Mostly
Norman Erikson Pasaribu
Written by Tobias Carroll, originally published in Words Without Borders
Jun 22, 2023
Every month, Tobias Carroll shares a handful of recently released or forthcoming titles in translation that he’s especially excited about. This month's selection includes books in translation from Bolivia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Norway, and Poland.
What I say: The stories in this collection range in tone from memorably lived-in and realistic to uncanny and ethereal. For this reader, the most compelling work in Happy Stories, Mostly is “The True Story of the Story of the Giant,” which blends a realistic-seeming tale of research and family with an element that veers far from anything resembling realism: a staggeringly tall man who may have lived in the recent past. In telling this story, Pasaribu explores questions of faith, desire, and memory; the result is an immersive story that makes the impossible feel true.
What I say: The stories in this collection range in tone from memorably lived-in and realistic to uncanny and ethereal. For this reader, the most compelling work in Happy Stories, Mostly is “The True Story of the Story of the Giant,” which blends a realistic-seeming tale of research and family with an element that veers far from anything resembling realism: a staggeringly tall man who may have lived in the recent past. In telling this story, Pasaribu explores questions of faith, desire, and memory; the result is an immersive story that makes the impossible feel true.
Read the full article here.