TDR Letter
Subject: Alex
Boyd's Review of Ivan E. Coyote's One Man's Trash
Hi editor
Alex Boyd said two things in the review of One Man's Trash that I just
don't agree with.
First, he says, "The stories in One Man's Trash almost read like a novel, given that Coyote has made herself
the first person narrator in all of them, keeping a very conversational style throughout."
Well, just because Coyote writes that way doesn't mean the narrator is Coyote herself. Boyd gave no evidence
to support that claim. He says Coyote 'appears to take the stories from her own
life.' Appears? So what? Isn't misunderstanding narrators in fiction to be
authors in disguise the hallmark of the sciolist?
Second, Boyd says, "...lines like this, from Trick Road Trip should charm any reader: 'Life was almost
perfect, until yesterday when I found a black polyester shirt with yellow and red sparkly flames all
over it, and now it is sublime.' "
Again, where's his proof? He says nothing about why the line is supposedly charming. I
don't think it's charming. It sounds like something from a Gap ad. Does he mean
I'm defective if I don't find it charming?
What a prosaic review!
Ed Parker
Toronto
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