A philandering art dealer tries to give up casual love affairs - seeking only passionate kisses as a substitute. A man recounts his personal history through the things he has stolen from others throughout his life. A couple chart the journey of their five-year relationship backwards, from awkward reunion to lovelorn first encounter. And, at the heart of the book, a 24-year old young woman, Bethany Mellmoth, embarks on a year-long journey of wishful and tentative self-discovery.
The Dreams of Bethany Mellmoth depicts the random encounters that bring the past bubbling to the surface; the impulsive decisions that irrevocably shape a life; and the endless hesitations and loss-of-nerve that wickedly complicate it. These funny, surprising and moving stories are a resounding confirmation of Boyd's powers as one of our most original and compelling storytellers.
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[Ludo Abernathy looked at himself in the mirror - objectively, analytically - and, by and large, liked what he saw - THE MAN WHO LIKED KISSING WOMEN](Viking, 2 November 2017, 248 pages, hardback, borrowed from my library)
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Stories included:
- The Man Who Liked Kissing Women
- The Road Not Taken
- Camp K 101
- Humiliation
- Unsent Letters
- The Things I Stole
- The Diarists
- The Dreams of Bethany Mellmoth
- The Vanishing Game: An Adventure
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I enjoyed most of the stories in this collection.
Some of the stories have an occasional loose interconnection. This is very loose and likely to be barely noticed by most readers.
This collection is a mixed bag; some stories (such as the novella, The Dreams of Bethany Mellmoth) are excellent and other tales such as Camp K 101 and Unsent Letters) are just okay.
The final story, The Vanishing Game: An Adventure is really odd. The story is enjoyable at first and starts to get strange. I like strange stories and weirdness but the story just gets bogged down in this and doesn't really go anywhere.
I thought the collection of stories was just okay but didn't offer anything special.
