Yates is one of my all-time favorite writers. His stories have been called gloomy and far too centered on pathetic people, but for me he captured an unnamed quality that many of us have but few admit to. His characters put a lot of effort into believing they're something they perceive as more or better than what they actually are while bracing against the realities caving in on them.
My favorite story of his is one called "Out Wif' the Old, In Wif' the New" about some patients at an army hospital whose deteriorating spirits lead them to not want to celebrate New Year's eve, but somehow though they would never have foreseen it, magic happens. It's not corny in the least, even if my description makes it sound that way. I can't tell you how much this writer's work has meant to me over the years.
Anyway, his collected stories are now out on paperback. If you can stand slightly more depressing writing than, say, the great Chuck Palahniuk but with an equally perceptive bent, I highly recommend Yates.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312420811/qid=1023163658/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-8716521-6252615" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312420811/qid=1023163658/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-8716521-6252615
</a>
My favorite story of his is one called "Out Wif' the Old, In Wif' the New" about some patients at an army hospital whose deteriorating spirits lead them to not want to celebrate New Year's eve, but somehow though they would never have foreseen it, magic happens. It's not corny in the least, even if my description makes it sound that way. I can't tell you how much this writer's work has meant to me over the years.
Anyway, his collected stories are now out on paperback. If you can stand slightly more depressing writing than, say, the great Chuck Palahniuk but with an equally perceptive bent, I highly recommend Yates.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312420811/qid=1023163658/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-8716521-6252615" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312420811/qid=1023163658/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-8716521-6252615
</a>
