Ruth Ozeki is such a favorite author for me that I just requested this book without realizing it is a short story collection and… that’s okay. Because this master of seeing the quirkiness in the ordinary, in adding little touches of magic that might be “real” or might be in a corner of the characters’ brains carries her unique way of seeing us and her surroundings to each tale. I am person who went to college when taking typing for personal use in high school was necessary. People paid me to type their term papers. So, I deeply appreciated the metaphorical mechanical typewriters showing up here and there in many but not all of these stories by reference or in person. The title story is the quirkiest and all the typewriters referenced predated my 1970s models by decades.
I’m not going to go further about the title story or I’ll give away a mini-spoiler so moving on, for me, one of the best reads was a shorter entry and lacked a typewriter. “The Death of the Last White Male” is certainly an ominous title and based on the Chinese narrator’s point of view, seems to gently reference her white male husband. It is a sad story including one of nature’s biggest disappointments when keeping livestock and eating oranges that should be sweet. It is also and most sweetly story of hope through compost, through starting a new year, and through kindness, love and understanding when it is most needed.
The most engaging story for me, which definitely involved a typewriter and an array of characters who create some compassion and not a little disapproval is “Ships in the Night.” It is told from the perspective of a young teenage girl whose mother fancies herself a vagabond writer, essentially shacking up with one “Guy” after another. We perch for a story’s worth in Canada with a French speaking man actually named Guy and get a snapshot of what “Baby’s” life is like in every port. Baby is theoretically going to name herself when she is ready. That, alone is suggestive of her mother’s way of being. Baby is a complex, rather strong and thoughtful character so her future could take her anywhere but her situation requires a little bit of selfishness, significant cleverness and lots of courage. We sense she is at a turning point. It is another gift from Ozeki that her characters always, wherever they are, make do in the moment which may in fact be just a moment in time or how their whole lives progress. I would, if time and common sense allowed, review every story. While I enjoyed some more than others, The Typing Lady has that satisfying baseline of short story collections, in that it is solely made up of great to read stories while presenting many complicated and varyingly likable characters. The Typing Lady has brought me back to the love of a great short story collection. The typewriters throughout made this it so personally pleasurable as I think how hard I had to hit the keys on my manual model while I lusted after my college roommate’s electric version. And here I am on a laptop keyboard, “touch typing” still these many years later and feeling quite sentimental thanks to Ruth Ozeki. Highly recommend!
They Called me Bookworm 