Love Doesn't Work
Henning Koch
Release Date: January 11, 2011
ISBN: 978-0982631812 Price: $16.95
Review:
The latest book by Henning Koch is as readable and entertaining as any classic short story collection. Although Koch was born in Sweden, his voice mirrors the American Woody Allen's wit, minus his obsessive neuroticism. Each of the stories here has their own characters and contexts, but love is a unifying thread linking them to one another.
One of the most original works in the collection is "In Memoriam, Ingmar Bergman". Funny, mysterious and also romantic at the same time, Koch weaves together a beautiful piece reminiscent of the movie "Being John Malkovich".
"Life is a rare mystery. When we look beyond our lives, we see only darkness." These are the opening lines to the short story "My Gift, My Dictation". Being a fan of the essay, I was captivated by the language so fluidly used in this piece. Although it is not in the typical essay format, it had similar qualities of a typical essay. Koch hit upon all of my favorite topics of discussion: language, religion and the meaning of life. I was drawn in from the first to the last line of the masterpiece.
The only story in this collection that I had a hard time following was "Have You Met Lumpa?" It reminded me of most adult themed cartoons that I have seen in the past ten years. It was strangely weird and I find myself thinking about its meaning. Maybe it's way over my head. Overall, this is a powerful, life affirming and boldly funny collection that everyone should experience. I look forward to reading more by Koch in the near future.
Description: Love Doesn't Work offers classic storytelling with profound, startling insights into human desire and its shortfalls. Inspired by the ancient Cathars, these seven tales present a vision of life as an inevitable struggle against ignorance, darkness and sexual confusion. Devilish and playful in tone, they leave the reader with a sense of outraged satisfaction and delight.
Author: Henning Koch's writing started with screenplays. Between 2002 and 2007, he worked as a translator and dramaturge for Yellow Bird Films, makers of Henning Mankell's Wallander series for television/cinema in Scandinavia, Germany and the UK. In 2005, Koch moved to Sardinia, off the coast of Italy, where he spent three years writing the short story collection Love Doesn't Work and the novel The Maggot People (forthcoming September 2012).
Here's the Jacket Copy:
Enduring her jet-set life in Sardinia, a woman has learnt to sublimate her erotic longings caused by her husband's impotence, until a visitor offers a more immediate solution.
A claustrophobic banker fears the destruction of his relationship when he discovers a yawning hole beneath the streets of Stockholm.
The arrival of a gorgeous Russian piano prodigy inspires a screenwriter to look beyond his treadmill London existence.
And while fixing a leaking toilet in the wilds of Sweden, Ingmar Bergman explains the predicament of lovers in a hostile world.
Love Doesn't Work offers classic storytelling with profound, startling insights into human desire and its shortfalls. Inspired by the ancient Cathars, these seven tales present a vision of life as an inevitable struggle against ignorance, darkness and sexual confusion. Devilish and playful in tone, they leave the reader with a sense of outraged satisfaction and delight.
