I was trolling around somewhere online and heard a ton of people say that these early stories of Updike’s were his best. I’m listening to the Rabbit books right now on audio, and they’re nothing short of amazing. I’ve had this ARC of The Early Stories sitting on my shelf for more than ten years, every time I move I seem to take it with me, I just can’t bring myself to get rid of it, why I’m thinking of doing that is beyond me.
In the opening pages of this story I see an increased level of detail, more than what Rabbit says or sees, this is a grand examination of a time and place that no longer
Continue reading The Happiest I’ve Been by John Updike – Olinger Stories
This isn’t a story so much as it is a tale about what happens when the carnival comes to town, and no one knows about luck and chance, and what happens when you bet your money, hoping that luck and chance collide over your head like a storm cloud.
In this wafer-thin missive, Updike brings us through the working class suburb of Olinger. Johnny shows up at his neighbor’s house with an interesting proposition: he’d like for the Lutz family to go down the street to buy him a bottle of wine. Johnny isn’t any older than sixteen and when he approaches the apartment screen door, he spies the bare leg of Thelma, a girl he knows from around the neighborhood. This refreshingly honest approach to the story makes me think that there is nothing wrong with Johnny, except he just wants a bottle of booze to help him waste away the day. I remember when I was that age, booze seemed like a good idea
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