jakebargman

Honeymoon: And Other Stories By Kevin Canty Vintage Books New York, 2002 Love: The True, The Real, The Void If you have ever longed for something that you didn’t really want, or ever pursued avenues of happiness, knowing that heartache was soon to follow- then you will be a fan of Kevin Canty’s Honeymoon: And Other Stories. Do not be fooled by the title that omits visions of white-satin sheets full of lovemaking and bliss- Honeymoon contains eleven stories of raw emotions, realistic love and tangible fears. Tokyo, My Love is a light hearted tale about the love for a country. Understanding that Canty often used pop culture references in his work, it can be assumed that the narrator is a very well educated, Godzilla. This story, being the kick off for the novel, threw me off as a reader; I found this opening piece did not fully capture the same brilliance of the stories succeeding it. Aquarium, a story of a recovered drug abuser, Olive, transcends into a relationship with her nephew, Robbie, a current drug enthusiast, carries a similar theme with Flipper, a story of a young boy sent away to fat camp for over eating. These stories circle relationships that are created out of a need for something greater. Olive does not really want to be in a relationship with her nephew, but her judgment is clouded by her inner voids she so desperately wants to fill. Flipper, a nickname given to the overweight teen, forms a relationship with food. He eats and eats to fill a void that is within himself, it is not until he meets a pregnant thirteen year old from a neighboring catholic camp, that his hunger is revealed to be an emotional malnourishment rather than a desire to merely over indulge. Keeping with the theme of over indulging and substituting food for feelings, Little Debbie introduces a married couple with a very relatable love: the wife, being an ex-fat person who employs self-control and dedication every day for her cause; and the husband, who happily gives into his desires for alcohol and cigars. She works out and sacrifices to stay thin, which makes her happy, but even so, she pushes her husband away with past insecurities, which in turn makes him insecure: “So I get a beer and then -- because I'm sad, because my wife has just turned me out, because tomorrow is Sunday and besides I-don't-give-a-shit is descending.” I found this story to be a more realistic tale of love, insecurities and heart ache. With an eye for detail, Canty wonderfully portrays how love can so easily become lost or turned away without the need to over-dramatize. Each short story focuses on love, loss and filling a void. As a writer, Canty’s novel was a great example showing that love stories DON’T have to be written clean and “pretty”. His attention to detail and stream of consciousness writing style, breaks literary guidelines for a more appreciative and raw reading experience. I recommend this book to anyone; it’s an easy read for all and a great read for aspiring writers.

2022-09-07 22:19