69 Comments
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Toni's avatar

What a fantastic read!! I wanted to cry for Gary. There have been days like that a century ago.

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Andrei Atanasov's avatar

This was a fantastic read. Thank you for the lovely character study, Sherman. This Gary is anything but temporary.

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Georgena Felicia's avatar

Wow! such much to say - but actually you said it! Poverty totally sucks, and brings to surface a degree of desperation no matter which way you turn. As if every decision is only marginally acceptable, or is it marginally despicable.

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Theresa Candelaria's avatar

Why the name of the Roberto-Clemente-award-winning Mariner to be the asshole boss? Oh! Because Anna was going to the navy?

It’s such a great sad story. It’s like Raymond Carver but real. Real. I could smell him.

And Harold Reynolds. I wonder if he ever met a Diamond….. Oh! Like baseball Diamond, right?

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

All the unintended baseball! My Mariners subconscious! I'm going to change the name to something not so famous, even though it's only famous to dedicated baseball fans. And thanls for the kind words.

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Raelou's avatar

I can almost smell the pizza and the funk.

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Hahahahaha!

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Wendy Armstrong's avatar

...rented out inadequate rooms to the inadequately employed. 🔥🔥

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Thank you, Wendy.

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Gooddogboy's avatar

“Maybe that's all we should expect from people. Just a thin slice of decency.” Beautiful

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Thank you.

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Jeanne's avatar

"a thin slice of decency". What a succinct definition of what our world needs right now. thank you

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Thank you, Jeanne.

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Dorothy Schultz's avatar

Your last story really made me want donuts and now this one really makes me want pizza, ha. Also, the fact that you make a James Dean reference makes me love it even more! Sooo great!!!

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Thank you, Dorothy!

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Gaille Pike's avatar

I opened your email this morning because I was procrastinating and it seemed a more acceptable activity than staring out the window at my favorite tree 😂

I told myself I'd read the first paragraph and then do work to "earn" reading the rest. But of course I got hooked and read the whole damn thing. Well done & thank you.

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Thank you!

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Harley King's avatar

Love the story. Reminds me of Raymond Carver.

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Andrei Atanasov's avatar

It’s better than Carver, imo. In Carver’s stories you feel like the fly on the way. I felt involved in Sherman’s story.

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

That's the ultimate compliment. Thank you!

Here's a link to me reading a Carver story for The New Yorker podcast.

https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/fiction/sherman-alexie-reads-raymond-carver

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Sean Sharp's avatar

Harold Reynolds had a lifetime average of .258 with 21 home runs. The pepperoni stats reminded me of this. This was fun to read, Sherman and binge watching people - that line was funny to me. Thank you!

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Hahahhahaha. My Mariners subconscious was in play!

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Sean Sharp's avatar

To be fair, the stats on the pepperoni made me look up his stats! I do not remember that stuff - :-)

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Patris's avatar

Gary’s the kind of philosopher I’d of dated despite that smellly shirt. Just out of sheer fascination over what he was thinking. A kind of Candide. But. the credo. « moi, j’observe ».

You gave these characters flesh.

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Thank you, Patris. I imagine Candide would do well on Match.com.

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Patris's avatar

Thank god my generation didn’t have that available. But he was optimistic as hell. Always appreciated.

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

!!!!

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Weston Parker's avatar

Full of atmosphere. I was a dishwasher for a long stretch and a laborer for the years required to gain entry to carpenter's helper and beyond. I remember well being looked at with disdain by many people for years. That shapes a person. thanks for your stuff.

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Thank you, Weston.

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Theresa Griffin Kennedy's avatar

This is so great. I can’t help but wonder if some of this is autobiographical. So much great humor, and brilliant metaphors. I love the humor in your essays and fiction... after the day I’ve had, it is very welcome!

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

I was a pizza and my adventures were many and strange! This is autobiographical in some respects but Gary is very much not me.

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Chad's avatar

The slow door close...immensely more painful

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Sherman Alexie's avatar

Thank you, Chad.

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