“Beginnings are exciting; middles are gratifying; but endings, boyoboy.” — John Barth, On With The Story Boyoboy, indeed! What a way to end to a dismal day! Ma

“Beginnings are exciting; middles are gratifying; but endings, boyoboy.” — John Barth, On With The Story Boyoboy, indeed! What a way to end to a dismal day! Many years ago (feels like ancient Sumer now) I came across his "Lost in the Funhouse" and was thunderstruck, and not only by the vagaries of his style: I felt a deep kinship to the proton its. It's still my favorite short story. (It was good luck, too, that I read it on its own, the other pieces in the collection were insufferable.) For others, its “Night-Sea Journey” (full text here: https://tigerenglish.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/night-sea-journey-john-barth.pdf https://tigerenglish.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/night-sea-j...). If you've never heard of him, here's a great intro to his work: https://lithub.com/john-barth-deserves-a-wider-audience/ https://lithub.com/john-barth-deserves-a-wider-audience/ For a personal take on "Jack": https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/books/review/a-twist-in-her-plot.html https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/books/review/a-twist-in-h...