Girls, I am telling you, I don't read as many short story collections as I should, because I have this ambivalence toward them. I like the epic scope of the novel form, first and foremost, and, while a novel tightly holds together, the vast majority that come my way contain several outstanding stories, but not all of them.
Which is why "A Manual For Cleaning Women" is such a surprise. I had never heard of Lucia Berlin till now, but I am telling you, while her stories may be thinly disguised autobiography, they hold together, each and every one, some even connected to one another. So, it is a short story collection that comes almost close to being a novel.
It examines the hard underbelly of American life in all its geographical regions--even New York. What is remarkable is that, while many characters struggle, the cumulative effect on the reader is not depression, but inspiration. And admiration for Berlin's linguistic skill and texture.
Lucia Berlin died in 2004, at the age of 68. This book will be her legacy, and it is a rich and rewarding one that I urge you to read. But I long for the promise that would have been contained within her future endeavors, and how I would have looked forward to reading them.
Not since Dawn Powell has an author merited such rediscovery.
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