Issue 40 / January 2012
Old Favourites - Richard Ford reads John Cheever
John Cheever's bitter, knife-sharp story Reunion is an exercise in brevity, and as near close to perfect as anything I've ever read. A young boy meets his errant father for lunch in New York and follows him from bar to bar as his behaviour and temper become increasingly odious. In a few neat strokes, with alchemical precision, Cheever conjures whole lives from this short encounter, the shadows of father and son's past and future falling across their lunch table.
Richard Ford's reading for the New Yorker's podcast brings the story brilliantly to life. He has a voice like treacled whiskey, perfectly pitched between sardonicism and sympathy, and full of old New York. It's only a few minutes long; listen to it, it's wonderful.
James Vitus
Monday, 14 September, 2009
Newsletter
Untitled Books
Your account
Register for an account and review books, comment on articles and build a list of your favourite reviews. Coming soon.
