‘Geese’ by ZZ Packer

Geese by ZZ Packer, 2003

The magic trick:

A story that slogs through one bad plot development to the next

Another entry from Packer’s superb debut Drinking Coffee Elsewhere.

In this one, Dina has left her Baltimore home to try to make her way in Japan. It does not go well. Interestingly though, the failure of the trip doesn’t follow a typical narrative arc. It doesn’t start well but gradually fall apart. It’s pretty much pretty bad from the very beginning.

The story isn’t particularly short either. So what we get is page after page of negative stasis. I really liked it. It feels like a brave choice. It’s as if the author says “I know you’re expecting the narrative changes you’re accustomed to, but I’ve got your attention and I’m just going to keep going down this negative spiral without any redemption arc on the horizon.”

The result is an impressive mood of cultural identity boxes, bleak – and almost dull – as it is.

And that’s quite a trick on Packer’s part.

The selection:

Dina had called Ari, wanting leads on jobs the English-language newspapers might not advertise. Ari agreed to meet her at Swensen’s, where he bought her a scoop of chocolate mint ice cream.

“I got offered a job at a pachinko parlor,” he said. “I can’t do it, but you should. They only offered me the job because they like to see other Asians clean their floor.”

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