Forgetting English is a slim volume of haunting short stories. These are stories of loss, of deep emotion, and of women trying to find their way forward. The language is lyrical — poetic in places — and the stories were lovely to read. Author Midge Raymond provides a very short but entertaining collection.

“The lanterns bob gently as they drift out to sea, some extinguished by waves or by the splash of other lanterns swimming past. Paige sees shapes of light hovering above the water — probably the mist in the air, or the effects of Abbey’s hash, or of the tears that suddenly rise in her eyes — but she stands still and watches for a long time, until the lights and voices fade away.”

My favorite of the stories is “The Rest of the World,” perhaps because it’s about a businesswoman on the road, a situation I am pretty familiar with. There is a definite feeling of disconnectedness when you’re on the road, especially in a strange country. Our traveler is in Taipei, dealing with unpleasant business while she deals with a crisis in her marriage. In her first hotel room, a man has left a message on the voicemail for another woman about a dinner date — and our businesswoman meets him instead. I love that idea, even if it’s something I’d probably never do. Through years of business travel, our traveler — whose name we never learn — has lost her connection to her husband, but maybe she is finally making a connection to herself.

“I’m not sure why I hope Kyle will call, except that I long for the familiarity of his voice. It reminds me that I’m still anchored to the world, a feeling I tend to lose when I travel, a feeling I’ve lost almost completely since losing him. I’m away six months out of a year, and when I’m home, I’m usually gearing up for another trip or coming down from one.”

This is not a long book — only 10 stories, less than 150 pages — which made it a quick read. The problem I had with it is that the stories are very much alike. The similar themes and mood, as well as Raymond’s style of storytelling, sometimes made the book feel like one long story. The writing is excellent and I was easily caught up in the stories. I hope that she expands on her themes and adds some additional stories. I would gladly read more from this author. ( )

In a collection of short stories shuffling between many narrators, places and time periods, Midge Raymond’s Forgetting English offers readers vignettes with a common theme: every story involves a stranger in a strange land. Some are suffering identity crises. Others are smarting from relationships gone awry, or preparing for a painful divorce. Some stumble into illicit love affairs while other search desperately for a connection in a frozen wasteland. Regardless of where they start out, how we leave each character is the genius of Raymond’s writing.

Despite having encountered some great ones, I’m still skeptical of short story collections. Masters like Jhumpa Lahiri have created pure magic in Interpreter of Maladies, for example, but I still find myself shying away from the format. But Raymond is making headway on getting me to admit I’m a fan after all.

With ten short stories in her slim but powerful collection, Raymond introduces us to characters who are shaky and broken. I’m not going to mince words here: most of these shorts feature unhappy people searching for something or someone, and none are cheery. But somehow, despite the somber tone, I didn’t feel depressed while reading . . . and as time went on, I came to appreciate the insights into human nature that Raymond offered in spades.

Each story is an exploration of love and loss and longing, and my favorites in the work are the earliest ones: “First Sunday,” “Translation Memory” and “The Ecstatic Cry.” The latter is told from the perspective of a female researcher working with penguins in their natural Antarctic habitat, and her search for a connection — physical; emotional — really resonated with me. No story is more than 15 or 20 pages, but you immediately feel dropped into a scene and tied to the people offering you their moment.

One of Raymond’s talents is the seamless way in which she fluctuates between speakers. Some stories are told in first person, while others shift to third. I’m partial to “I” narratives as a general rule, but the third-person perspective never bothered me. Raymond’s controlled, lovely language drew me in. In “First Sunday,” two estranged sisters are bonded in an unexpected way — and that story is the one I’ve been thinking of most often.

While each individual story seemed like it could spread on for pages, their brevity is what makes Forgetting English powerful. If you’re nervous about trying short stories after a long stint away, Raymond’s work might be a solid reintroduction. With descriptive, interesting prose and unique narratives, her collection — winner of the Spokane Prize for Short Fiction — is thought-provoking and memorable. ( )

Originally posted on Read Handed.

I'm all around impressed with the strength of each of the short stories in this book. Ten stories and not a dud in the bunch. The stories are different - taking place in such diverse places as Tonga, Hawaii, Tokyo, and Tanzania, just to name a few of the locales represented. But at the same time, similar themes run throughout the collection: adultery, loneliness, adaptation, change, strangers. Though the stories are set throughout the world, most (maybe all) of the main characters are American. So there is also a sense of the exotic - being in a strange place physically, emotionally and dealing with the change.

The arrangement of the stories within the collection help to drive these themes home as well. The first story in the collection, "First Sunday", incorporates each of the themes I mentioned above and gives the reader a great impression of what's to come. The main characters is Mel, a hot shot American visiting her sister, Cheryl, in Tonga. The lives of both of these women are changing, and both have to learn to adapt to the changes. For Mel, that means coming to terms with losing her corporate job because of one huge, sloppy mistake. For Cheryl, it means reevaluating her priorities and assessing her goals in life. In a remote Tongan village, the sisters come to terms with loneliness, love, and each other.

Fittingly, the last story in the collection, "Never Turn Your Back on the Ocean", revisits these themes of shifting lives and turning points, but gives the reader hope that things will work out. The main character, Karey, is an aspiring actress who has turned to nannying to earn a living until her career can take off. She's in Hawaii watching her client's kids on their family vacation and lamenting that at 24 years old, her chance for a big break is looking bleaker and bleaker. She lives her life as if it's a play, being careful to use just the right voice, gesture, or expression required for the situation she's in. Sticking to the script is safe, whereas if she ad-libs, anything could happen.

The story from which the collection takes its name, "Forgetting English", is the most intense in the book. Paige, an American woman trying to escape her demons, takes a job teaching English in Taipei. She befriends a young local woman who offers to teach her Chinese. During their lessons, Paige learns that she must "forget English" to learn a new language: "If you think in English, it is more hard to understand. You have to think in Chinese. You have to start over" (pg. 71). Forget what you thought was your life and get used to living your new life. A notion that applies to each story and character in the collection.

Raymond's writing is excellent. Short stories are challenging because there is no room for a weak sentence. Each sentence, each word, has to contribute to the overall meaning of the story. Every detail must be significant. Raymond pulls off this feat in each of the stories in this collection, creating symbols and metaphors that tie together the pieces of the characters' lives and emphasize the crossroads in them. This is literature, rather than simple fiction.

I highly recommend this collection of short stories. The themes are well-executed and consistent between each story, but the stories and characters can stand alone as well. A strong showing all around. ( )

The Short of It:

This collection of stories is a restorative tonic for the soul.

The Rest of It:

I am not a fan of short fiction but every now and then I give it a try and usually I am disappointed. That said, I was not disappointed by Forgetting English. In fact, I was so mesmerized by the beauty of the writing that I spent an entire morning on the couch enjoying it. From one story to the next, I found myself completely and utterly absorbed. Each story is so different and yet there are common themes…insecurity, yearning, shame and the need to escape.

My favorite story happens to be the book’s title. Forgetting English and is about a teacher by the name of Paige that has taken a teaching job in Taipei in order to escape her life back home. She befriends Jing-wei in an effort to learn Chinese. Both women have secrets and as their stories unfold, we learn how much their friendship means to one another and how flawed the human spirit can be.

I found myself embracing several other stories as well:

Translation Memory (a married couple grieve in their own way after suffering a loss)
The Road to Hana (a married couple struggle with the realization of what they’ve become, or what they’ve always been)
The Ecstatic Cry (researchers in Antarctica, Empire penguins and the need for human contact)

It’s not often that I tell anyone to go out and get a particular book, but this collection is a real treasure. The writing is effortless and natural and each story, although brief, is very satisfying in the end. This is a great collection to curl-up with. I recommend that you get yourself a copy. ( )