Book Club April 2021- The Office of Historical Corrections
By: Danielle Evans
Published Year: 2020
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Pages: 269
Our book club has only done short stories (that I can remember) once before, so Stephanie decided it could be interesting to try them again. This book has also been listed for a few awards and Steph also felt it would be a good way to add diversity to our list.
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Danielle Evans is widely acclaimed for her blisteringly smart voice and x-ray insights into complex human relationships. With The Office of Historical Corrections, Evans zooms in on particular moments and relationships in her characters' lives in a way that allows them to speak to larger issues of race, culture, and history. She introduces us to Black and multiracial characters who are experiencing the universal confusions of lust and love, and getting walloped by grief—all while exploring how history haunts us, personally and collectively. Ultimately, she provokes us to think about the truths of American history—about who gets to tell them, and the cost of setting the record straight.
In "Boys Go to Jupiter," a white college student tries to reinvent herself after a photo of her in a Confederate-flag bikini goes viral. In "Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain," a photojournalist is forced to confront her own losses while attending an old friend's unexpectedly dramatic wedding. And in the eye-opening title novella, a black scholar from Washington, DC, is drawn into a complex historical mystery that spans generations and puts her job, her love life, and her oldest friendship at risk.
What I thought
Let me preface this by saying, I am very much not a short story person.
This collection of short stories, plus a longer novella, all center around black characters and, therefore, black experiences. While I appreciated the perspective, and even enjoyed a handful of the stories, overall I would not have continued this book had it not been for book club.
Mostly, like I mentioned, this is because of my dislike of short stories. I find that a lot of the time they just end with no real closure. Otherwise, I get attached to a character and it’s over too quickly, left wanting more. This one had more stories where I felt like I was missing something.
The biggest issue I had was with the novella. It was the last story in the book and the story that the book was named for. Part of my issue was I didn’t realize how much longer the final story in the book was going to be, so I went into it expecting it to be another short story. The other issue I had was that it not only seemed like a pointless story to me, but the end left such a bad taste in my mouth.
I understand that these stories are meant to be hard to swallow, but I usually do much better with that when it feels like there’s a point. What was the lesson I was supposed to learn? Maybe the point is that life isn’t supposed to be easy to swallow and there isn’t always a point, but I read to learn and I didn’t feel like any of these stories helped me do that.
What Book Club Thought
Seems like we were all pretty much on the same page with this one. There were one or two stories that we all enjoyed but the rest of them we didn’t care for. It did lead to some good discussion, so I guess in the end that means it’s a good book club book choice? Ultimately, not our kind of book. I think (obviously) that this book will work well for others but, not so much for us.