Ordinary Life

Ordinary Life
By Elizabeth Berg

Okay, I know this is the third Elizabeth Berg book I’ve read this month, but I really like her. I’m going to have to start pacing myself though, because I think there’s only a few of her books left that I haven’t read yet. Just thinking about that gives me a bit of a tight feeling in my chest….

This is a book of short stories, which I was a bit skeptical about at first, since it isn’t my favourite genre. I find it’s tough to really connect with the characters and plot in only a few pages. These stories put me in mind of looking at a stranger’s photo album. Each story is a like a little intimate glimpse inside of someone’s life. In these stories Berg expertly captures the joys and tragedies that are the stuff of everyday life in a way that highlights the moments of transcendence that we all experience in our lives. As Berg notes in the Author’s Note at the close of the book:

These stories are not perfect either, but they are the best I could to to
portray certain life events, to illuminate certain ways of thinking, to
illustrate the way we can get from here to there, to document some interesting
insights. More than anything, they are meant to celebrate the extraordinary
moments and events that make up ordinary life.

If you like Elizabeth Berg, you’ll enjoy these short stories. I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed as each story ended though, as if I’d been given just a taste and left wanting more.