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The book ‘My Father’s Tears and Other Stories’ by John Updike is a collection of short stories that has been written in trademark Updike style. A score of years ago, Updike opened his memoirs with an extended remembrance of his hometown. The scene describes to us the plight of the author who has been stranded in a slight drizzle while his wife and daughter are at the movies. He walks around thinking of the past in incantatory style, making a large mesh of small details. This is typical Updike in which he summons up the names of local merchants’ names, his past classmates and teachers and a whole lot more of such details. While the effect may be a brief glimpse into the life of such a wonderful writer, it does little to illuminate the plot of the book or the story. There are 18 stories to be found in the book and except for one, which was published in 1979, all are a sort of autobiographical fiction. He conjures up fictitious names for real cities and towns and he applies the same process for people. One defining aspect to be noticed here is that all of Updike’s protagonists are at the twilight of their lives. They are not young nor are they raring to go ahead in life; they are disillusioned weary souls who would rather lead their lives in total retrospect than chase after something new and novel. All of the stories contained in this collection present a different facet of the old nut most noteworthy of all is perhaps, the last story. In this, the 80-year-old protagonist takes us through an extended tour of the last rituals of the old. He prepares himself and ultimately us for what is the way to lead old age or perhaps it is Updike’s version. He prepares himself to give up on even the simplest of pleasures because he feels with a sigh of resignation that his time is coming to an end. The best part, however, is reserved for the last line when the author raises a toast to the old man, not with wine but with water, completely high on life and utters, “If I can read this strange old guy’s mind aright, he’s drinking a toast to the visible world, his impending disappearance from it be damned.” Catch a closer look at the book here. http://www.bookchums.com/book/my-fathers-tears-other-stories/9780141042596/Mjg4MjA=.html Anju Batra is a writer based in India. She like to write on Social and cultural subject. She has writer lots of Articles on the subject of Free Ebook Library and Reading Lists.
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