New Yorker Fiction Review #208: "Audition" by Said Sayrafiezadeh

Review of a short story from the Sept. 10, 2018 issue of The New Yorker...

I haven't read and reviewed a short story by Said Sayrafiezadeh since way back in September 2014 ("Last Meal at Whole Foods," 7/28/14 issue), and apparently I really, really hated it. That's the cool thing about having reviewed these short stories for the past five years now: I have a long track record to fall back on and can actually use my own reviews as a reference. Based on what I wrote about this author's last effort in the The New Yorker I would not have given this story much of a chance; however, I really, really dug this short story "Audition."

In "Audition," Sayrafiezadeh takes on that weird period of adolescence / young adulthood that encompasses the transition from high school to college -- or from high school to the "real world" whatever the case may be -- essentially the years 18-20. And, on a personal level, this story resonates with me precisely because those years in my life were particularly bad.

The main character in this story works at his father's construction business but harbors secret dreams of moving to L.A. to become an actor. As he befriends one of his fellow construction workers -- a man who is older, simpler, and has no such dreams -- his dream shrinks down to life-size but, in the process, becomes possible.

What makes this story great is the tension it builds. The story begins: "The first time I smoked crack cocaine was the spring I worked construction..." therefore, throughout the entire story we are left wondering whether or not the main character is going to go on a drug-induced downward spiral, it kind of looms over the story like a shadow. There is tension between the main character and his father, whom we never actually meet. There is tension between the main character and his new friend, who doesn't know he's the bosses son. And there is tension inside the main character himself as he struggles inside, wages that all-too-familiar inner battle, over what to do with his life, what direction(s) to go in. And all of this doesn't even touch upon the arc of the main character's approach to his acting craft, which would take even longer to properly delve into.

Really, this story is a pretty fantastic achievement especially considering Sayrafiezadeh's dismal effort from 2014.