A standard device in surrealistic writing is to start out with a completely normal situation, which rolls along merrily until the readers are starting to think, “Okay, so what?”
And then we begin to realize that the situation is not normal. In fact, hidden behind the daily façade is something horribly abnormal. And this leads us to wonder about our own reality, and worry that there is something going on behind the scenes in our lives, too. “The Path of Most Resistance” is that kind of book.
This author is particularly good at the “normal” social atmosphere of the story, bar or boardroom, with all the expected characters, settings, and jargon. This shows especially in the title story, where we find out the main character has a different, very real interpretation of the meaningless phrases he spouts so glibly. Which he then proceeds to demonstrate, to our horror.
However, this technique should not be overused. When the ideas in the stories become increasingly intellectual and the “normal “conversation continues for too long, the suspense fades as well.
This is especially true in “Miscalibrated,” an idea appropriate for a short story but stretched to novella length. There is too much idle conversation, too much technical material, too many characters and not enough action. For example, they spend 14 pages discussing where to hold a ceremony.
The concepts in this story are not that difficult to understand, but they are so thoroughly explained that we lose the sense of the story and the tension that should build.
And unfortunately, the writing also suffers from minor glitches that distract us from the tale. Errors like, “Finally, he honed in on the man.” (The expression is “homed in on.”) and slightly awkward writing like, “…they were dragged from there by their circles,” and, “…almost entirely devoid of people.” (You don’t say, “almost entirely.” Entirely means entirely, and there is no “almost “involved.) There are also many sudden shifts in verb tense and point of view. None of these are serious errors, but they reveal the need for a bit of polishing.
Despite these flaws, this is an intelligent and thoughtful author with an eye for the delusions of our modern world.
Interesting material, but not handled as well as it might be. Recommended for fans of surrealism with an intellectual slant.
(3 / 5)
This review was originally published on Reedsy Discovery