Thrilling Tales of Modern Men: Stories by Danny McBride
Many thanks to Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to
read an advanced copy of Danny McBride’s aptly titled collection of short
stories Thrilling Tales of Modern Men. I absolutely loved this
collection, and I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining these stories
are. McBride, whose creative endeavors span acting, writing, and directing, may
be known more for his on-screen characters, but much of the development and
creativity that goes into crafting these characters appears in the characters
and situations in these stories as well. While McBride has been known for
comedy, he also has collaborated with David Gordon Green on the recent Halloween
and Exorcist: Believer films, and this ability to meld genres like
comedy and horror is also apparent in many of the stories, as we witness
characters who often find themselves at the mercy of an absurd and sometimes
terrifying world that is beyond their control, while other characters allow their
pride and masculinity to lead them into situations in which they cannot escape.
Overall, this is an excellent collection that I found myself both laughing at
the situations and responses in which the characters are involved, but also not
wanting to put the book down until I finished the story. It’s a highly readable
collection full of energy drink loving, flawed and insecure guys who seemingly
want to prove a point about their masculinity, often complicating their own
downfalls, but in some cases providing opportunities for redemption. In his
acknowledgement, McBride cites a few writers who inspired him, including
Stephen King and George Saunders, and I was thinking about how many of the
stories feature the kind of absurdities of modern life and the desire for
characters to latch onto their masculinity that are a feature of Saunder’s work
in particular, but also some of King’s earlier stories and novels. This is a
fun and entertaining collection that allows its influences to reflect in the
best ways.
The first story, “The Illusionist”, is the longest in the
book and firmly establishes the themes of insecure guys who are trying to
re-establish their masculinity and dignity through absurd attention grabbing activities.
Greg is recently separated from his family, but believes that resurrecting his
interest in magic and illusions will possibly demonstrate to his children and his
wife, if not the entire community, his strength and perseverance. Although it
comes at the cost of his job and eventually his friends, Greg makes plans to
remain suspended in a clear container in a mall (with food and water, of
course), so that everyone can witness his brave attempts at survival and persistence.
However, a mysterious figure visits the mall at night to try to derail Greg’s
campaign. Will this end his attempts to
win attention with his illusions?
“Robocare™” is one of the stories that really reminded me of
a Saunders story. It focuses on George, an older widower whose kids are
concerned about him living alone. As a result, they decide to enter him into a
trial of a new technology that involves an in-home robot aid. George feels his
independence threatened and rejects the robot, whose algorithms and attempts to
learn more about George’s needs and accommodations result in a humorous and disastrous
ending.
Similarly, “The Vicious Kind” was another story about a dad
who experiences a threat to his masculinity in public that leads him to a regrettable
action against his neighbors. This story also had a kind of Underground Man
feel in that his public humiliation at a fair during at attempt to bond with
his son leads him to act out on his neighbor’s boat, and it leads to further
drastic action to cover up his impulsive vandalism.
“The Book Burner” follows another instance of a man who believes
he’s been wronged, but he takes his revenge by visiting bookstores and burning
copies of the books of the author whose story he believes exploits his tragedy.
Again, this takes a humorous approach to a dark subject, and it involves a man
who was struggling in his marriage, and his attempts to have a family night out
at the carnival lead to the death of his wife. Marcus Mel, the author of the
story, is equally hilarious in his arrogance and privilege, and the fateful
meeting of these two characters has hilarious implications.
It’s hard to pick a favorite from this collection, but “The
Institute of Men” is among my favorites with how strange and unsettling the
eventual ending of the story is. However, to keep it simple, Mitchie decides to
visit the Institute of Men because of his receding hairline, and the questions
and process for his hair treatment are incredibly odd and somewhat disturbing.
Again, this reminded me of a Saunders story or something from Stephen King
where there’s an air of the uncanny in which Mitchie thinks he’s visiting one
place, but is really unprepared for what unfolds during his intake. Within a
day, Mitchie’s hair begins to grow and grow, attracting new attention not only
from his colleagues, but also from a van of men who kidnap him and cut off all
his long, flowing locks. Although he doesn’t know exactly what happened with
his treatment, Mitchie’s hair growth is continuous but raises questions about
the consequences of this treatment.
“Last Night of the Runaway Adventure” is about 2 boys who
run away to live in the woods. One returns home and struggles to adapt, while
the other makes his way west. The story examines the harsh realities of life in
the woods, but it also presents the hilarious ways that one of the boys manages
to make money and move westward.
“Gerald’s Wife” was also one of the highlights about a disastrous
turn of events at a party. Although the story somewhat focuses on Gerald, it really
focuses on his wife Tracy and her contempt at all of the others at the party.
He annoyance with everyone and attempts to maintain social niceties come into
conflict, leading her to an impulsive act that may have been captured on a security
camera. Other stories also highlight the use of home surveillance to capture these
instances of impulsivity, which again reminded me of some of Saunders’ work in
how our human instincts and reactions often collide with modern technology.
Tracy’s fake niceties and her attempts to label all of the partygoers are hilarious.
“Mr. Liptrapp’s Sword” is one of the more adventurous
stories in the book about a teacher and history buff who uncovers a mystical
sword in a local Civil War battlefield. The sword’s power attracts various
bidders who desire it and will take drastic action to possess its power.
“Fun Run” was another one of my favorites, largely because
of Denny, one of the two characters who attends a motivational speaker workshop
with other people from various workplaces. The story is also told in a
different narrative structure where there are sections that alternate from the
start and the end that eventually converge to resolve the events, allowing
readers to understand how Paul ended up in the fun run with Denny chasing after
him in a field by the highway.
“Dad’s Way: A Hilarious ‘90s Sitcom” is another strong story
that focuses on a 90s sitcom actor who has continued acting but in lesser and
lesser roles since the end of his iconic sitcom. The recent death of the sitcom’s
creator allows for a reunion and one-off show, where the original actors are
all brought together despite their different life experiences. I liked this
story because of its examination of sitcoms and nostalgia, as well as Mike Gotts
struggle with accepting his role as America’s dad, but also wanting to go back
to his glory days. The story is equally hilarious and critical in questioning
the role of nostalgia in today’s entertainment.
Overall, this is a great collection of stories, and none of
them were boring or disappointing. They all feature ridiculous and insecure men
who struggle with their masculinity, act impulsive, and often face consequences
for their actions, but are also offered opportunities for redemption. I was
surprised at how much I empathized with some of the characters despite their
rash or impulsive acts. McBride’s writing and characterization establishes
these complex but flawed characters who experience both hubris and humiliation.
Highly recommended!
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