THE TINY WIFE by Andrew Kaufman, Review: An absolute gem
The Tiny Wife Synopsis
A remarkable short novella, a modern fable that is weird, uplifting and romantic all at the same time – from the author of All My Friends are Superheroes.
A flamboyantly-dressed man enters a bank, and proceeds to commit a most curious robbery. Rather than demanding money or jewellery, he asks each of his thirteen victims to surrender that which they hold most valuable: a calculator, a cheap watch, photographs of children, a copy of Camus’ The Stranger, and so on.
The lives of robbery victims begin to come apart in otherworldly yet strangely fitting ways, forcing them to discover and claim that which is truly valuable to them — before it’s too late. The Tiny Wife, the latest work of contemporary wonder from best-selling and award-nominated author Andrew Kaufman, is an imaginative and inspiring display of pure storytelling.
(Madras Press (2010), The Friday Project (2011), Cormorant Books (2014) )
Genre: Drama, Literature, Romance, Fantasy, Short Stories
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BOOK REVIEW
From the intriguing opening lines, I fell hook line and sinker for this gem of a novella from Andrew Kaufman.
The robbery was not without consequences. The consequences were the point of the robbery. It was never about money. The thief didn’t even ask for any. That it happened in a bank was incidental. It could have just as easily happened in a train station or a high school or the Musee d’Orsay.
At less than 80 pages, The Tiny Wife is written in a deceptively simple and whimsical narrative. It is even illustrated.
It is brimming over with such wonderful sentiment and metaphorical meaning that I read it twice in the same sitting. And that is really saying something because I never read a book twice.
This story contains all my favourite literary elements. It was quirky enough to surprise me, conveyed a message serious enough to leave a lasting impression on me, and it oozed such an intelligence in its crafting that I felt genuine admiration for the author’s talent.
I now know what I will be giving many of my friends, male and female, for Christmas this year – I think The Tiny Wife is an absolute must read, a gift in every sense of the word.
BOOK RATING: The Story 5 / 5 ; The Writing 5 / 5
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About the Author, Andrew Kaufman
Andrew Kaufman was born in the town of Wingham, Ontario. This is the same town that Alice Munro was born in, which makes him the second best writer from a town of three thousand. He attended F.E. Madill High School. He is the author of Born Weird, All My Friends Are Superheroes, The Waterproof Bible, and the short story collection Selected Business Correspondence. He, for now, lives in Toronto with his awesome wife and two kids, Phoenix and Frida.
