Word: schlinkã
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...which I thought to be far more satisfying: “The Scarlet Pimpernel.”Luckily, my bad experience with “The Odyssey” hasn’t prejudiced me against all the novels with a Homerian essence. Before I was halfway through Bernhard Schlink??s “Homecoming,” I had decided that it was time to return to the original hero’s journey.But what makes “Homecoming” such a compelling read is its contestation of the very idea of a Homerian journey...
...most part, fast-paced and free of practically any form of superfluous exposition, which is possibly the collection’s greatest strength. Schlink proves himself completely in command of the odd situations he creates by sparing his readers lengthy descriptions and unnecessary details. This, combined with Schlink??s wonderfully off-beat characters, makes Flights a truly worthy collection. Some of the stories are better than others, however, and Schlink is most successful when he is conscious of his ability to entertain...
...clear standouts emerge from the collection, “The Other Man” and “Sugar Peas.” All of Schlink??s stories are effective in their portrayal of a specific kind of love; his goal is to show the depths and complexity of love, and how it motivates us beyond rational action. These two stories in particular approach the topic with a bubbling uniqueness. Instead of the more straightforward and realistic parables on the foibles of love, these stories have a quirky sensibility that makes them drastically more entertaining...
Though it is a funny and touching story, the success of it still lies in Schlink??s ability to dissect human motivation surrounding love. The man’s obsession with his wife’s past, which he slowly uncovers, is at first ambiguously displayed, but eventually Schlink gives us reason for his journey: his own insecurity, his newfound feelings of inadequacy and his flawed, human curiosity. These motivations don’t appear selfish through the careful eyes of Schlink. Rather, they seem pointedly human...
Inevitably, Thomas falls. The weight of his triple-life becomes unbearable, and rather than facing the situation, he drops everything and travels the world for a year, with hilarious results. But eventually, his vacation ends; Schlink??s conclusion to “Sugar Peas” is appropriately surreal and viciously funny. Here Schlink adds a layer of sarcasm and thick irony that is missing from the other stories. The result is sublimely wicked; Schlink takes a very subtle, yet decisive revenge on Thomas, creating a more biting and much less thematically obvious tale than some...