#14 Meeting Elise (2008) Nam Le
Henry Luff is a successful New York Artist. Strangely, we don’t see any of his art in
this story and ironically we don’t see any beauty in the life of this artist. From the tragedy of his love dying too soon,
to his bitter break with his first wife, to the overly descriptive scene at his
proctologist’s office, Henry’s current existence is wrought with ugliness.
Perhaps that’s why he hasn’t created any art in a year.
We’re to believe that Henry is a hard man to like at best, and is more likely detestable. He has only one friend and has driven away
anyone in his life that got close. His
one and only chance for redemption, for forgiveness, for hope as he faces death
and obsolescence is seeing his daughter one more time, the first time since she
was taken from him 17 years ago.
It’s a very emotional story, and Le is a capably emotional
writer. I find a very musical quality to
his writing. Where I find the themes and
plot elements of his stories a little cliché at times, I find craft and
delicacy in the execution of his narration.
Notable Passage: “The past’s a cold body of water for me and
nowadays my bones ache after even a quick dip.”
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