I read Wolff’s This Boys Life many years ago. I enjoyed it at the time and have never forgotten it.

I bought a collection of his short stories when they were on the sale shelf at the front of Books Inc once. It then sat on my shelf for about a year. I wish I’d picked it up sooner.

Typically I don’t like short stories, but not only did I enjoy these, I added Tobias Wolff to my favorite authors list, bringing the total to two (Kazuo Ishiguro has been a long standing member). I need to get more Tobias Wolff works and read them over and over again.

My complaint about short stories is typically that I don’t get enough of what I love: character development. However, in 10-20 pages, Wolff manages to create honest, compelling, complete characters.