Forgive the Amazon pic because it was the only image I could find of the cover of this amazing book. Vernon discusses his brother and how he only came to know him after his death while cleaning out his house. It is a sad book--oh, is it sad--but in a moving and important way rather than a sappy way. He also discusses the history of various things like the thermometer and various other objects he found in the house. The memoir genre is a mess right now because we want to read about how screwed up other families are. Plus, we want the "T" truth and so many of them are filled with lies.
This one, however, is a winner.
"Miniatures" is one of the more bizarre and effective novels I've read in the past five years. It tells, and retells, the same story over a three day period of time. Labiner is a master of wordplay and inventive trickery. The titles of the chapters have very little to do with what happens. They mostly sound good. All too often reviews give words like luminous, haunting and evocative to books that don't deserve it. This one does.
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