Review: The Coast of Good Intentions, by Michael Byers

Michael Byers writes the kind of stories that will appear to you over night and leave you wondering in the morning, which parts were fiction and which parts were dream. Because each of his stories is driven by feelings pure and universal: a husband strengthening his attachment to his children as he looses touch with his wife, a young widow struggling to stifle his physical desires, a content old couple learning to admit their inclinations for novelty – it is impossible not to find yourself in one of his stories. On a personal note, what resounded within me most was the relief a character feels when he is finally able to say out loud the things he’s always wanted to apologize for, and Byers’ remarkable mastery at capturing relationships between young children and adults. Byers’ stories are moving, but not entertaining; I wouldn’t recommend them to everyone. For a similar spirit, I would suggest Olive Kitteridge, whose stories interlace and move at a faster pace. Byers’ stories feel like they should be read one at a time, with ones own life happening in between them, in order to be fully appreciated.