A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You, by Amy Bloom
Vintage Contemporaries, 2000
I had heard a lot of hype about A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You by Amy Bloom, but nothing could've actually prepared me for the emotionally- gripping short stories within this slim collection.
This is Bloom's second collection, and it brings back two memorable characters, Lionel and Julia, who figured prominently in her first collection, Come to Me. The other characters we meet in A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You are equally unforgettable.
The thread that ties these stories together is not quite tangible the plots and the characters are all very different. Yet, there is a common feel to the stories of longing, hope, and some measure of desperation.
The title story revolves around the inner emotional turmoil of a devoted mother as her daughter begins the process of becoming a man. The two Lionel and Julia stories give us glimpses into the complicated relationship between a young man and his stepmother following his father's death.
If you're a fan of Mary Gaitskill or Siri Hustvedt, you'll love Amy Bloom. At times difficult and cruel, at times uplifting and joyous, Bloom's stories hold nothing back. Life is lived in full-color (sometimes garish) reality on these pages. Bloom's straightforward prose drives the stories at a steady pace, escorting you along an enjoyable literary journey.
