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Blasphemy

[New and Selected Stories]
ksoles
Feb 18, 2013ksoles rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Interpreter and observer, sometimes angry but always humourous, Sherman Alexie displays his mastery of the form in his latest collection of short stories. The theme of "Blasphemy" occurs throughout the book; someone has always committed a sin though often not wittingly. One character, a heavy drinker in need of help to bail out some prized pawned regalia, remains a fundamentally decent person despite a lifetime of errors. Another laments that, once you start seeing your loved one as a criminal, love ceases to exist. As usual, Alexie mainly stages Indians of the Northwest as his protagonists but he includes endless possibilities for misinterpretation among his characters, as when a Spokane encounters three mysterious Aleuts who sing him only permissible songs: “All the others are just for our people.” Longtime readers will find this profound, affecting collection full of both familiar themes and surprises.