Leaving the Sea by Gretchen Heisler

76 Book Review >>> Gretchen Heisler Leaving the Sea

Marcus, Ben New York: Vintage Books, 2014. 249 pp.

Fiction writer Ben Marcus’s newest collection of short stories, Leaving the Sea, is a compendium that cannot be described easily. While all of the stories revolve around the trauma of adulthood and the varied responsibilities and situations that can arise from it, each of the six sections of stories are likely to evoke different reactions from readers (though, not all of them good reactions). Marcus’ stories run the gamut of style and form, and although I would be surprised if any one reader enjoyed all of Marcus’s stories, every reader can find at least one in the collection to which they can relate. Marcus begins the collection with stories written in rather traditional forms, all of which recount some stage of a deteriorating relationship. It is fairly obvious that such stories are not going to be something read to brighten one’s day, but Marcus takes readers far past sympathetic or even tolerable levels of fictional misery. Even those who normally revel in the experience of schadenfreude will be internally screaming over the sheer pervasiveness of the characters’ unhappiness. Reading these first four accounts of relationships, Marcus seems to be giving readers the impression that adulthood is the end of anything remotely approaching happiness or contentment, and all young people should prepare themselves now for the general despondency and dread that will overtake them the moment they pass through whatever invisible barrier demarcates the beginning of true maturity. On top of all of this, each of the first four stories carries heavy undertones of bitterness and resentment. This is not particularly surprising, given the subject matter, but once again becomes nearly overwhelming. By the time one has reached the fourth story, the tales of adult men dissatisfied with their lives and relationships has become beyond tiring, and there is little in the way of pity or compassion left for the characters. At the end of the first section, an impression is made of having just spent an untold number of minutes having something that is not very complex explained in four different ways, when it was understood perfectly well the first time around. Luckily, Marcus’s remaining six sections of stories change quite a bit from the traditional, and frankly exhausting, stories of section one. It is when Marcus begins these more experimental pieces that one can see why he has received such praise for his past work. While still focusing on the horrors of adulthood, stories such as “My Views on the Darkness” and the title story “Leaving the Sea” approach the topic in lighthearted or achingly sad ways, respectively, without making the focus feel redundant or overemphasized. “My Views on the Darkness” is particularly interesting for its form. It is written in an interview style, with the unnamed main character explaining why he or she has chosen to live in a cave instead of deal with the pressures of adult life.

The interviewee portrays this choice as one based solely on survival, something necessary in order to continue living. The exaggerated reaction to the pressures of modern life, and the genuine paranoia, fear, and denial obvious in the character’s words, make for an entertaining tale told in a unique way. The serious and elevated language that the interviewee uses to answer the questions only accents the humor of the piece. At one point, the interviewee even attempts to argue that the cave is not, in fact, a cave but a normal dwelling place that just happens to be subterranean. It is with this story that Marcus’s talent as a writer truly begins to shine through. As a contrast to “Views,” “Leaving the Sea” is utterly heart-wrenching and evokes the empathetic response that one likely did not experience in his first stories. The first sentence of “Leaving” spans five and half pages (with the remaining six sentences of the story taking up only a few lines). Putting aside the initial amazement that a sentence that long could exist, readers are given a devastating depiction of regret, and something closely approaching madness. The sentence reveals the saga of the main character’s life and his failing marriage, while offhandedly exposing his insecurities. The voice used in the piece makes readers feel unsure whether the things they are being told really happened or are just figments of the main character’s delusions. The length of the first sentence is not just objectively impressive, but conveys a scattered, irrational mindset, as though the main character is not fully aware of all of the things that he is telling you. “Leaving the Sea” effectively portrays the kind of helplessness and loss a person might go through when confronted with the unraveling of their marriage, their family, and the life they had made for themselves. It is truly and outstanding piece, and it is no wonder that Marcus decided to name the collection after it. On the whole, I believe Leaving the Sea has a great amount to offer. While the four stories that begin the collection are perhaps overly cynical and bitter, they are in no way poorly written, and there is little that can be said against the remaining pieces that make up the book. Marcus’s experimentation with form is exceptional and makes the stories he creates memorable. I still maintain that the vast difference in style and tone between Marcus’ traditional and experimental prose would make it challenging for one reader to enjoy all of his pieces, but the wide range of stories included in Leaving the Sea gives the opportunity for readers with varied tastes to find something they like.