New Yorker Fiction Review #271: "Future Selves" by Aysegul Savas

Review of the short story from the March 29, 2021 issue of The New Yorker...

There are great short stories by great writers. There are mediocre short stories by great writers. There are great short stories by mediocre writers. And there are mediocre stories by mediocre writers. This is the first thing I've ever read by Ayesgul Savas, but I think I can safely say this is a mediocre story by a writer who is, if not exactly great yet, then clearly with the potential to be great. 

Sometimes it's a matter of the material that makes something boring or inconsequential, but you can tell that the writer has some deep insights into the human character and the ability to work with the language. In this case, in "Future Selves," the action of the story revolves around the author and her husband searching for an apartment, presumably in Paris, where the author herself lives. They view different apartments and try to imagine their lives in these different apartments. Concurrently, the main character has a reminiscence about visiting her niece at university, and something tragic that happens to one of the nieces friends.

The story is just "okay," but at the same time it was a smooth read and Aysegul Savas has a nice way of divulging what a character is thinking, in that way that makes you think "yes, I know what the character is going through, because I've had those same thoughts or feelings." That's a major, major tool that a great novelist needs to have. And Aysegul Savas has got it. 

Her first novel was called "Walking on the Ceiling" (2019) and she's already back in the market with another one, called "White on White." Artwork this week by Karolis Strautniekas, a Lithuanian graphic designer and artist.