Ed Park (Same Bed Different Dreams) writes books that are easy to love and hard to define. His writing is hilarious but also serious; chaotic while still cohesive; irreverent and earnest all at once. The short stories in An Oral History of Atlantis are not linked, not exactly, but characters do recur, and the whole thing hangs together like an ensemble cut from the same cloth. Though the stories span decades and formats ("Weird Menace" was originally released as an Audible Original), they maintain an odd kind of continuity, making the collection highly satisfying.
Park maintains a deadpan delivery even in the most absurd of situations. The opening story, "A Note to My Translator," introduces author Hans de Krap, who is deeply concerned about the translation work in progress. As he notes the errors found in the first chapter, the ridiculousness mounts, and so do the laughs: "Page nine: Solomon Eveready reappears, this time smoking cut-grade reefer and imitating a trout. Explain this to me. Explain also the presence of scuba gear that 'reeks of melon.' "
Not every story is so openly funny, but they all create an unexpected alchemy of droll humor, detached irony, and serious reflection. Take, for instance, the narrator of "Bring on the Dancing Horses," who lives with Tabby, a failed academic who writes fanfic and reviews science fiction novels: "Tabby is a brilliant genius in her own way, but sometimes I worry that she is turning into an alien." This worry doesn't seem to disrupt their relationship, nor does the fact that for his birthday she gives him a review copy of The Truculáta ("book two in the third of four projected trilogies" featuring "the mysterious Weëmim, a clan of psychic Hffr'z descended from the Grand Vizier Fungwafer VIII and his half-horse concubine") and then takes it back and reads it herself. Despite this hilarity, the story feels sad, a feeling embedded in brief asides about his family. When his dad e-mails and the narrator suggests they chat online, his father ignores the invitation while continuing to post on Facebook. He asks, "Doesn't he know I can see them? Doesn't he know I'm his friend? I stay up till two watching his wording get terse." This sense of longing for something just out of reach is the thread that binds Park's stories--to each other and to the reader. --Sara Beth West, freelance reviewer and librarian
Shelf Talker: An assemblage of short stories from celebrated novelist Ed Park, An Oral History of Atlantis melds the unexpected with a healthy dose of humor.