Or Else

Or Else by Antonya Nelson was exceptional. All the characters were so real they did not need any of the minor physical descriptions that sometimes accompanied them. The story follows David, a 39 year old man who lies compulsively. As a boy he accompanied his friend Priscilla in the summers to a house in Telluride that her family owned. He got to know, and love, Priscilla's family very well and attached himself to them. His own family, only his parents, were not happy together and home life was less than desirable. Unfortunately, Priscilla got older and he was no longer invited out to that little shack in Telluride. As David got older he tried several times to reattach himself to the family but to no avail. He began taking women he would meet there during the off season when he knew Priscilla's family would not be there. He would tell the women it was his family's house and he would spend a weekend there before the real owners would show up.
The figurative language was used with great effect. It was subtle, mostly concrete and really only there to add to the general atmosphere of the story, rather than in any actual descriptive sense. None of the characters were stereotypical except for maybe Mr. and Mrs. Hart (Priscilla's parents). All of them were vulnerable, had flaws and strengths and were well rounded. Definitely a character driven piece but it did not lack for plot. Recommended reading. Period.