After the Parade by Lori Ostlund

I have just started reading After the Parade by Lori Ostlund. There, she tells us about forty-ish year old Aaron who leaves a twenty year relationship with Walter, an older professor and mentor, in order to begin a new life in San Francisco. Aaron teaches English to ESL students and we learn much from his observations, like how he was surprised that he “harbored stereotypes of Mongolians” and how he read the local bank's exchange rates, “noting which countries’ currencies were listed, because this told him something about his neighborhood,  and which currencies had risen or fallen, because this told him something about the world.”

I definitely have some affection for the characters who are often melancholy and lonely, very self-reflective and introspective.  Some other favorite quotes included:

·         “It seemed inconceivable to him, to have no curiosity about one’s parallel lives, those lives that different places would demand that you live.”

·         “when that day came, he would bring up his boxes and read through the story of his life, maybe finding even more pleasure in it the second time.”

I hope to find more time to spend with After the Parade even though the characters' ages and life experiences mean it will likely not appeal as much to students as it will to faculty. In addition, I am looking forward to reading more by award-winning author Lori Ostlund, including her short story collection, The Bigness of the World.