Ideas of Heaven

Idea of Heaven: A Ring of Stories
By Joan Silber (247 pages)
Published by W. W. Norton
Bookish rating: 4

This is a collection of six stories--some quite long (50+ pages) for being short stories. They're kind of sort of connected through various characters, though they cross continents and historical periods. They're more interestingly connected through theme, exploring how sex and religion are quite closely connected, even as they often combat each other. Or, as Silber more effectively portrays them, filling in where the other leaves off, these forms of love and devotion. It's all very interesting.

As is usually the case in novels-via-story-collections, some stories are stronger than others. "Ideas of Heaven," which is also the title of the book, was by far my favorite (and is the longest, I believe)--it's absolutely extraordinary, detailing the fictional life of a Christian missionary in China during the Boxer rebellion. It left me breathless.

Silber's work gives a top-notch opportunity to study the art of the short story in oodles of ways. I was entertained, sure, but I also learned a lot. Recommended.