Uncommon Type, the first collection of short stories from Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks, may be seen, by some readers, as an antidote — or a respite — from the darkness, pessimism and formal challenges of much of contemporary short fiction. The stories in the volume almost invariably have happy endings, with tragedy and struggle confined largely to recollection and backstory. There is an overarching tone of positivity, of general, underlying good, that things will not only work out, but that the world is structured that this should be so. Yes, the Bulgarian immigrant in “Go See Costas” has struggled through torture, the death of his friends, betrayal and loss of country, but upon his arrival in America, he is fed and clothed and sent to where he might find work. His pocket gets picked, and he gets yelled at, but there’s never a sense that anything is going to be less than fine.

Source: thestar October 20, 2017 10:30 UTC