New Yorker Fiction Review #310: "Thataway" by Thomas McGuane

 

Review of the short story from the May 27, 2024 issue of The New Yorker...

Thomas McGuane's contributions to The New Yorker's fiction section over the years (and there have been many, maybe the most?) have been -- in my opinion -- spotty, at best. While I can remember having read and reviewed a lot of his short stories in the magazine, I can't remember any one story very distinctly, which usually doesn't speak well for his work. Perhaps it doesn't speak well of my memory, which is increasingly spotty as well...

"Thataway" did not do much to change my opinion on Thomas McGuane's work in The New Yorker. This lightly comical story about a pair of elderly siblings brought together by the death of their sister has McGuane's fingerprints all over it; it is set in the American West and features a rich old eccentric and a dysfunctional but ultimately loving family brought together by a less than urgent situation that's more just a backdrop to give the characters something to do, than a plot. 

There's nothing wrong with any of this. If you like Thomas McGuane's writing, you'll likely find this story amusing, if not exactly compelling, reading material.