Andrew Porter (4) (1972–)

I went into this anthology of short fiction thinking it would be the perfect way to clear my palate. I had just given up on [a:Paula Volsky|261937|Paula Volsky|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-F-50x66-d699becf6b6f088e26f741df8c92d54e.jpg]'s [b:Illusion|12408735|Illusion|Frank Peretti|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1331936724s/12408735.jpg|17377431], a fantasy re-casting of the French Revolution with an unwieldy front-half I didn't have the patience for.

Oh boy.

It isn't that Porter's writing is terrible, far from it. I never had to stop and shake off a fit of grammatical outrage... but I never paused over a sentence and marveled at its construction, wanted to read it out loud and savor its music, its bobbing ebb and flow. It's functional prose, and not much more.

It's just everything else. Porter is great with his ending paragraphs--you could read them individually and get that same thunk, that impression of finality and importance and great meaning. I just don't think he can back it up with the beginning and middle. I was skimming from the title story on, and it all just felt the same to me: another first-person tale of suburban woe, character conflict with normal, flawed people going about their lives. Like a character-based indie movie, or romantic comedy. Formulaic. They read like the output of a very serious twenty-something who's taken too many creative writing classes with other very serious twenty-somethings, trying to make a statement about "the modern human condition" without ever saying anything original, or doing anything original, or really doing anything all that memorable at all. I'm sure that a month from now, I'd be hard-pressed to detail anything I've read.

Maybe, given the space to really dig into his characterization, Porter isn't so bad. Maybe his novel [b:In Between Days|13326427|In Between Days|Andrew Porter|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339170458s/13326427.jpg|18533583] is better. He's certainly got a list of awards long enough after his name, though the smug picture of him on his website is a little jarring. He's even from Lancaster county, just to the west of where I grew up, and now lives in San Antonio, which is just to my south. I have so many granfalloonian reasons to like him.

But I just don't.… (mere)

A study of an American family in painfully difficult circumstances. Cadence and Elson have recently divorced, and what is painful and unresolved between them is magnified and destructive to their children. Chloe has left Houston for college on the East Coast, where she has finally overcome her problems with acceptance and is in love with Raja. Her devastation at the news of the divorce sets of a chain of events that have found her suspended for the rest of the school term and Raja in legal trouble. Her brother Richard remains in Houston, but is floating in a miasma of purposeless drinking, drugs and relationships while he tries to find his way. The story gives perspectives of each family member as it covers their lives from Chloe's return from school. The angst and confusion were achingly real, the pain palpable, the results not completely expected. Worthwhile read, recommended.… (mere)

In Between Days by Andrew Porter is a suspenseful family drama. An accurate, if labored, portrayal of the modern American family, In Between Days is not for those readers looking for a feel-good story. It is the kind of family drama that is dipped in a thick coating of dread. You know from the earliest chapters that one event will lead to another, and little, if anything, good can come of this tale. Porter certainly walks the plausibility line in regards to “how much bad can descend on one family,” but he sprinkles in hope when it is most needed and keeps things from become overly bleak.

The characters weren't necessarily likable or extremely memorable, but they were worth my attention. They were interesting and I wanted to grow with them. Unfortunately, the characters didn't grow or change much during the coarse of the novel. Plot is the central focus here and—having had such great characters to start with, in addition to my bias toward character-driven novels—this left me disappointed. Readers who enjoy plot-centric stories and don't mind heavy drama will love this book and the places it takes them. There are enough thrills and twists to sustain most fiction readers. Despite wishing it had gone in a different direction, I concur that In Between Days showed off Porter's talents. Although it doesn't sound like a hearty endorsement, this novel stands above the average and may point to an exciting future for its author.… (mere)