Bullet in the Brain, by Tobias Wolff (1995)

 Bullet in the Brain, by Tobias Wolff (1995)

8.5/10


Every detail of the robbers being so cliché while the story itself is everything but cliché was one of the parts I found ironic. The first impression I got from this story was that the author did his best to go totally anti-plot. It also felt like this story was ripped out of a longer one, in which we would probably get a better explanation about Ander’s character. Still, the compact writing did have its own charm.

For the first few pages of the story, I felt Ander’s would be a tool the author came up with only to describe a scene he wanted to depict about. He just seemed too extraordinary and made up to be considered as a likable character. This view completely changed when I was done with the story. The author gifted Anders with so much character in the strangest way possible, and I loved it. Anders instantly transcended from a boring crazy guy into a man with decades of memories full of love, dreams and regret.

I am surprised how the author managed to make me feel sad for I guy I hated two pages ago. I rated it eight point five out of ten. (200 words)


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