In a
foreword that's every bit as entertaining as the collection that
follows, Bruce Friedman explains a little something of himself, his
theories on his writing style, and what prompted him to want to see
his 40 plus years of short stories compiled into one handy edition.
Despite his tongue-in-cheek dismay that others might believe he
perceives things from a "tilted" axis, there's little doubt that
he's refreshingly comical and marches --- in double time --- to his
own imaginative drummer.The
unifying thread of the collection is Friedman's remarkable ability
to raise our level of consciousness with simple illustrations of
human behavior couched in fascinating albeit quirky tales. "Far
from the City of Class" portrays a boastful manipulator that grates
on the nerves with its familiarity. We've all encountered the type
and may have even been a victim of their overpowering arrogance.
But after his companions are bullied into a salacious scheme,
Friedman ultimately exposes him for the pathetic loser we knew him
to be. "The Icing on the Cake" depicts a man pondering his good
fortune, yet for one brief moment letting self-doubt creep in to
cloud that happiness, a possible portent for future disaster. "The
Humiliation" is one of Friedman's purest satirical pieces, as his
character indulges in a ridiculous exhibition to air a grievance
and redeem his dignity from a 15-year-old incident.In
all of these insightful stories, Friedman employs a strong
narrative of examination --- focused on snippets of human behavior
that are magnified and brought clearly into the reader's focus. At
least most of the time. The first entry entitled "The Subversive"
really had me puzzled, and more than a little worried that I was
about to embark on a metaphoric journey beyond my understanding. An
All-American guy, the narrator's idol just oozing with wholesome
values, suddenly goes berserk at the sight of an old woman in a
wheelchair. Friedman no doubt intended to convey how the most
admirable people may harbor an uglier persona beneath that shining
exterior, but the character's reaction to the situation as
presented was, frankly, completely lost on me. A less stubborn
reader might have thrown in the towel at this point, but trust me
on this --- keep reading!"Wonderful Golden Rule Days" mirrors the sad perspective of
those who always view life as a glass half-empty, and meshes the
obvious allegory with Friedman's predictable irony. On the other
hand, one of my favorites, "The Neighbors," revolves around a feud
in the 'burbs, and Friedman eloquently fashions a vivid picture of
two comic but quarrelsome old men."Lang actually made a physical effort to shut the other man out
of his consciousness, biting down on his gums and clamping shut his
eyes; but it was as though the other man had a way of sending a
sentrylike finger through Lang's defenses, to steal beneath his
T-shirt, to press upon his chest."The
real significance of the title as the story unfolds probably won't
hit you until the final page, but it's guaranteed to make you rock
with laughter.And
then there's an intriguing little mystery, "Our Lady of the
Lockers," which explores a darker side to human nature and
relationships, in which a policeman may or may not be involved in a
murder but was most definitely involved with the principal party.
Even in this twisted little tale of crime, the narration is
peppered with black humor --- a dose of Friedman's oblique humor
kicking things off:"They found her body in locker three hundred fifty-seven at
Jack La Lanne's Gym and Health Spa on East Fifty-fifth Street. Also
in lockers three hundred fifty-eight through three hundred
sixty-one."Isn't that an image? With over 460 pages containing 57 stories,
there's a wealth of thought-provoking entertainment packed into
Friedman's superlative anthology. I have to be honest: I've not
read them all --- yet. But it's never far from my elbow; I've
carried it from the family room to the kitchen to my favorite
reading chair in the library, filling quiet moments with a few
delicious titles at random. I'm more than halfway through this
magnificent feast, but determined not to rush it. I plan to savor
every element of Friedman's "tilted" imagination --- and make it
last as long as possible