Depending on who you ask, the answer is a little different, but, generally, most reliable resources put the average human life expectancy at around 75 years. Seventy-five years. That might not seem like a lot of time—and maybe it isn’t—but it certainly provides ample opportunity for memorable moments, both large and small, whether life-changing or largely internal, which punctuate the equilibrium of mundane, everyday life with spikes of the exceptional, uncanny, and/or absurd.
“Einstein’s Beach House” by Jacob M. Appel is a collection of short stories about those memorable moments in life, as written from eight different voices whose tales are all told in the same tone. Reflective, candid, and rich with irony, sadness, and humor, the stories each center on discreet events and feelings that occur behind the scenes, or in the fuzziest recesses, of the characters’ otherwise ordinary lives, focusing the lens on what, to them, is very real, though, to those on the outside, including the reader, may seem surreal. But just like the proverbial “they” say about beauty, the intensity, or impact, of each thing we experience is measured by the eye of the beholder—or, put another way, just like the infamous Einstein kinda said about movement through space and time, everything’s relative… And, so, too is the tenor of each story in this book, and of Appel’s work as a whole.
From much ado about tiny-brained animals who hold a major place in a loved one’s heart and childhood encounters with men of conviction and convicted men, alike, to the vestigial regret, resentment, or redemption felt in hindsight of lost love and the unimaginable consequences of our imaginations, human frailties, and creative minds, each plot presents situations that are foreign, yet familiar, to what we’ve all experienced in our own lives. The scenery, sounds, and scents are different, but these are our stories, like the ones we bring up in chitchat or gossipy conversation. Appel’s writing, moreover, gives off that effect. What could be construed as complex sentence structure flows like actual dialogue, including idiosyncratic back information and inevitable instances of hyperbole, given shape through clever wordplay and considerate, albeit sometimes aloof, word choice.
This title will be well-received by readers in search of something eloquent, entertaining, and on-target.
“Einstein’s Beach House” by Jacob M. Appel is a collection of short stories about those memorable moments in life, as written from eight different voices whose tales are all told in the same tone. Reflective, candid, and rich with irony, sadness, and humor, the stories each center on discreet events and feelings that occur behind the scenes, or in the fuzziest recesses, of the characters’ otherwise ordinary lives, focusing the lens on what, to them, is very real, though, to those on the outside, including the reader, may seem surreal. But just like the proverbial “they” say about beauty, the intensity, or impact, of each thing we experience is measured by the eye of the beholder—or, put another way, just like the infamous Einstein kinda said about movement through space and time, everything’s relative… And, so, too is the tenor of each story in this book, and of Appel’s work as a whole.
From much ado about tiny-brained animals who hold a major place in a loved one’s heart and childhood encounters with men of conviction and convicted men, alike, to the vestigial regret, resentment, or redemption felt in hindsight of lost love and the unimaginable consequences of our imaginations, human frailties, and creative minds, each plot presents situations that are foreign, yet familiar, to what we’ve all experienced in our own lives. The scenery, sounds, and scents are different, but these are our stories, like the ones we bring up in chitchat or gossipy conversation. Appel’s writing, moreover, gives off that effect. What could be construed as complex sentence structure flows like actual dialogue, including idiosyncratic back information and inevitable instances of hyperbole, given shape through clever wordplay and considerate, albeit sometimes aloof, word choice.
This title will be well-received by readers in search of something eloquent, entertaining, and on-target.
5 Stars