I’m a little embarrassed to say that even though I enjoyed and was impressed by Lynne Sharon Schwartz’s Leaving Brooklyn when I read it back in June 1992, Truthtelling: Stories, Fables, Glimpses is only the second thing of hers I’ve read. Schwartz is, after all, the author of twenty-seven books, some of which (including Leaving Brooklyn) have been finalists for major awards such as the National Book Award and the PEN Faulkner Award. How such a fine writer could have completely slipped off my radar screen is beyond me.

Truthtelling is a collection of 25 short stories between three and twenty-something pages long. The title story itself, “Truthtelling,” was nominated for the Pushcart Prize Award, and many of the other stories have been published previously in prestigious collections such as Best American Short Stories 2005 and O. Henry Prize Stories 2015. The collected stories are about ordinary men and women facing up to life the best way they know how as they encounter the kind of problems that are familiar to all of us. As the book’s subtitle suggests, the stories offer the reader intimate glimpses into the lives — and minds — of twenty-five characters not so different from the rest of us.

There is a story about an elderly couple that has finally reached the age when each deems it safe to confess past sins to the other, one about a man who’s ex-wife figures out the perfect way to make him hurt as much as she does, and another about a woman who betrays the kindness of a stranger on a whim. There are stories about writers, singers, and even one about a concert pianist’s page-turner. Some of the stories are about people whose minds are not functioning quite right, placing them in unique and sometimes embarrassing predicaments. But all the stories are about what it means to be human, and how difficult the struggle can be at times for all of us.

Among my personal favorites is “Am I A Thief,” a story about an almost accidental theft (of a surprising object) inside a darkened movie theater and how the “thief” justifies the strange encounter to herself. Another is one of the longer stories in the collection, a story called “But I Digress…” in which a woman sitting at her father’s deathbed thinks about her father’s life and how his family’s experiences shaped her into who she is. My favorite of them all is also one of the saddest in the collection, a story called “Career Choice” in which a young woman decides that, because of her lack of job skills, there is only one choice open to her: marry an elderly rich man and hope to cash in before too many years go by.

Bottom Line: Lynne Sharon Schwartz is a brilliant storyteller, and Truthtelling is filled with the kind of stories that will have readers thinking — and talking — about them long after they put the book down. If you are a short story fan, this is one collection you should not miss.

Review Copy provided by Publisher ( )

Truthtelling, Lynne Sharon Schwartz, author.
Having read this author previously, I anticipated enjoying the book, and I was not disappointed. Wasting few words, each story gets to the point and presents the reader with something to think about. Even the most serious of topics contains a light hand, with occasional levity, a technique I believe the author has mastered. As a reader, I looked forward to reading each one. They all inspired me to think about human nature, the world today and the world to come.
I did not rush through this book because I enjoyed reading a few stories at a time and savored them, while thinking about what point the author meant to make. Sometimes the point eluded me, sometimes, I thought I disagreed with the point made, and at other times, a light bulb went off in my head and awakened a memory of a moment in my own life. Each of the characters was unique and identifiable, but a combination of all made a complete study of a human being's approach to the whole totality of life.
Filled with emotional appeal, the stories confront ordinary people, exposing their ordinary experiences and their ordinary dilemmas. The dreams and nightmares of these everyday characters, plucked from the streets of “everyman’s” community, are explored deftly by the author. Their simple daily lives and thoughts come to life. Their approach is simplistic and symbolic of the often flawed reasoning of human beings to justify their actions.
The stories deal with a variety of subjects such as: ambition, marriage, parenting, conflicts, history, climate, the future, heartache, work, and occasionally even joy. The message is indirect as everyday life with its small details, is laid bare and scrutinized, with all the warts and foibles of humans marching across the page. What do we do when we encounter a stranger, how do we react to perceived danger, how do we cope with loneliness, how do we deal with the death of a loved one, how do we deal with a recalcitrant child, how do we deal with danger for ourselves and others, how do we repay a stranger's kindness, how do we avoid judgment and responsibility in our own lives? Do we rise to the occasion and do the honorable thing or behave shamefully? Do we always choose the easy way out and escape into a cocoon of safety? Why do we lie when faced with troubling questions? These stories raised these and many other questions for me to ponder, which is why I so enjoyed each one. They were written simply, but they were not mindless. Each short story will encourage the reader to grow and reflect on their own behavior, on their own cynicism and its opposite, optimism.
The stories are never heavy-handed. The interjection of a light touch of mockery and/or humor, here and there, provides them with appeal as each imperfect human being finds ways to explain away, and live with, their own flaws of character. The stories deal subtly with life in all of its costumes: current day political issues, mental illness, annoying neighbors, historic tragedies, etc. As each unique character comes to life, the reader bears witness to their individual approaches to the demands that face them. One character is suddenly burnt out and takes to her bed, neglecting all the things she had found important in her life and finds a new perspective. Another character wonders if he should speak to a stranger. One discovers her preference for a certain food, while another deals with her response to a kind stranger's helping hand. The reader begins to think about how choices are made. Do we sometimes make decisions by actually not making a decision, letting so much time go by that a decision is no longer necessary or possible?
The author examines the idea of honesty and honor in each story, using unique examples to highlight the way our approach to truth influences our decisions, our relationships, our jobs, our interactions with strangers and our own conscience efforts to live our lives without too much chaos. Are we capable of duplicity, betrayal, heroism, kindness? We many not have answers at the end, but we certainly will have given it thought. ( )