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Between Here and the Yellow Sea
Set in a variety of Southern landscapes, these nine startling stories excavate the ambiguous terrain of the human heart. Pizzolatto finds beauty in loneliness as his characters attempt to bridge the gulfs between themselves and others, past and present, and, sometimes, the even wider chasms that separate them from their true selves.
In this stunning debut, a base-jumping, samurai park ranger parachutes off the St. Louis arch. A stained-glass artist struggles over his masterpiece for a castle in Southern Missouri and learns through great loss what his true subject will be. A schoolteacher searches for her missing son, her only clue a mysterious, paint-smeared stencil he left behind. And, in the title story, which first appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, an orphaned young man and his former high school football coach set out to kidnap the coach’s daughter from Los Angeles and bring her back to East Texas.
With a forceful and compassionate voice, Pizzolatto places us at the crossroads of memory and desire, longing and loss, somewhere between here and the Yellow Sea.
In this stunning debut, a base-jumping, samurai park ranger parachutes off the St. Louis arch. A stained-glass artist struggles over his masterpiece for a castle in Southern Missouri and learns through great loss what his true subject will be. A schoolteacher searches for her missing son, her only clue a mysterious, paint-smeared stencil he left behind. And, in the title story, which first appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, an orphaned young man and his former high school football coach set out to kidnap the coach’s daughter from Los Angeles and bring her back to East Texas.
With a forceful and compassionate voice, Pizzolatto places us at the crossroads of memory and desire, longing and loss, somewhere between here and the Yellow Sea.
275 pages, Hardcover
First published May 16, 2006
About the author
Nic Pizzolatto
9 books794 followersNic Pizzolatto is an American novelist, screenwriter, and producer. Pizzolatto was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was educated at the University of Arkansas and Louisiana State University. The author of two books, he taught fiction and literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Chicago, and DePauw University before leaving academia in 2010.
His first novel, Galveston, was published by Scribner's in June, 2010. It was translated and published in France by Editions Belfond, Hong Kong, Germany, and in Italy by Mondadori, as part of their Strade Blu line.
In 2012, he created an original television series called True Detective, which was sold to HBO and completed shooting in June 2013, with Pizzolatto as executive producer, sole writer, and showrunner.
His first novel, Galveston, was published by Scribner's in June, 2010. It was translated and published in France by Editions Belfond, Hong Kong, Germany, and in Italy by Mondadori, as part of their Strade Blu line.
In 2012, he created an original television series called True Detective, which was sold to HBO and completed shooting in June 2013, with Pizzolatto as executive producer, sole writer, and showrunner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
July 4, 2016
Before he created the acclaimed television series
True Detective
(at least the first season), before he wrote the superlative thriller
Galveston
(read my original review from 2011), Nic Pizzolatto wrote a short story collection called
Between Here and the Yellow Sea
in 2005.
It's always really interesting to me to read an author's early work, especially when you've read their more recent books. Sometimes you see them struggling to take control of their storytelling ability, their voice, their imagery, and other times you find flashes of genius, genius which becomes even more pronounced as their career progresses. Pizzolatto's collection of nine stories (apparently Amazon has another version of the collection with two stories not included in the original, but I didn't read that one) is moving, poignant, and thought-provoking, and a number of stories pack a punch.
The characters in these stories are struggling—with loss, adolescence, demons real or imagined, and, of course, all types of relationships. All but one of the stories worked for me, although I had a number of favorites, including: "Ghost Birds," in which a park ranger and BASE jumper wrestles with emotional crises and confronts the fears instigated by his risk-taking girlfriend; "1987, The Races," which tells of a young boy forced to provide emotional stability and companionship to his father, who has been slower to recover following his divorce from the boy's mother; "Two Shores," in which a young man struggles to understand his feelings (and control his curiosity) after the reappearance of an old girlfriend; "Amy's Watch," about a teenage girl forced to make sense of the various relationships in her life; and the fantastic title story, which follows a young man and his high school football coach as they drive to California, ostensibly to kidnap the coach's daughter and bring her back to Texas where she belongs.
I read a lot, but even when a book is really well-written and enjoyable, after I finish reading it I sometimes have trouble recalling specific plot points. But a few days after finishing Between Here and the Yellow Sea , I can't seem to get some of these stories out of my head. I've said before that the true sign of an excellent story collection for me is if I can envision some of the stories as full-length novels, and I definitely could here with more than a few of them.
Pizzolatto has real storytelling talent. If you've not read Galveston , I'd definitely encourage you to. Beyond that, I hope that he can fit in another novel or story collection sometime in the future, between his television and film writing gigs. This guy deserves to be read as well as have his work come to life on the big and small screens.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
It's always really interesting to me to read an author's early work, especially when you've read their more recent books. Sometimes you see them struggling to take control of their storytelling ability, their voice, their imagery, and other times you find flashes of genius, genius which becomes even more pronounced as their career progresses. Pizzolatto's collection of nine stories (apparently Amazon has another version of the collection with two stories not included in the original, but I didn't read that one) is moving, poignant, and thought-provoking, and a number of stories pack a punch.
The characters in these stories are struggling—with loss, adolescence, demons real or imagined, and, of course, all types of relationships. All but one of the stories worked for me, although I had a number of favorites, including: "Ghost Birds," in which a park ranger and BASE jumper wrestles with emotional crises and confronts the fears instigated by his risk-taking girlfriend; "1987, The Races," which tells of a young boy forced to provide emotional stability and companionship to his father, who has been slower to recover following his divorce from the boy's mother; "Two Shores," in which a young man struggles to understand his feelings (and control his curiosity) after the reappearance of an old girlfriend; "Amy's Watch," about a teenage girl forced to make sense of the various relationships in her life; and the fantastic title story, which follows a young man and his high school football coach as they drive to California, ostensibly to kidnap the coach's daughter and bring her back to Texas where she belongs.
I read a lot, but even when a book is really well-written and enjoyable, after I finish reading it I sometimes have trouble recalling specific plot points. But a few days after finishing Between Here and the Yellow Sea , I can't seem to get some of these stories out of my head. I've said before that the true sign of an excellent story collection for me is if I can envision some of the stories as full-length novels, and I definitely could here with more than a few of them.
Pizzolatto has real storytelling talent. If you've not read Galveston , I'd definitely encourage you to. Beyond that, I hope that he can fit in another novel or story collection sometime in the future, between his television and film writing gigs. This guy deserves to be read as well as have his work come to life on the big and small screens.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
November 18, 2014
Overall rating 3.5 stars. Review posted November 18, 2014
Both quotes taken from Ghost Birds
Short story #1 Ghost Birds 4.5 stars
A-mazing! Loved it!
Short story #2 Amy's Watch 3.5 stars
Short story #3 1987, The Races 2.5 stars
Boring.
Short story #4 Two Shores 3.5 stars
Short story #5 Between Here and the Yellow Sea 4 stars
Short story #6 The Guild of Thieves, Lost Women and Sunrise Palms 3.5 stars
Short story #7 A Cryptograph 3 stars
Short story #8 Haunted Earth 3.5 stars
While almost every ending is kind of abrupt, this one disturbed me the most and left me wanting (instead of 4 stars I downgraded it to 3.5 stars).
Short story #9 Nepal 2.5 stars
Again, great writing but I was bored. The plot and characters didn't grab me.
Writing and author's voice 4 stars
First things first. This is not a romance book. Between Here and the Yellow Sea is fiction and contains themes such as loss and death, delinquency, parenthood, and religion. As you can gather, these are not fluffy, happy stories. Fact was, the oppressive atmosphere made for a somewhat difficult read. Some stories simply didn't resonate with me, probably because I failed to connect with the characters. Though the prose was always very good and balm to my wounds after having read one too many badly written romance book lately.
Also, due to the great prose I decided to round up to 4 stars. I hope to give Galveston a shot someday soon.
Recommended read.
Both quotes taken from Ghost Birds
Short story #1 Ghost Birds 4.5 stars
A-mazing! Loved it!
Short story #2 Amy's Watch 3.5 stars
Short story #3 1987, The Races 2.5 stars
Boring.
Short story #4 Two Shores 3.5 stars
Short story #5 Between Here and the Yellow Sea 4 stars
Short story #6 The Guild of Thieves, Lost Women and Sunrise Palms 3.5 stars
Short story #7 A Cryptograph 3 stars
Short story #8 Haunted Earth 3.5 stars
While almost every ending is kind of abrupt, this one disturbed me the most and left me wanting (instead of 4 stars I downgraded it to 3.5 stars).
Short story #9 Nepal 2.5 stars
Again, great writing but I was bored. The plot and characters didn't grab me.
Writing and author's voice 4 stars
First things first. This is not a romance book. Between Here and the Yellow Sea is fiction and contains themes such as loss and death, delinquency, parenthood, and religion. As you can gather, these are not fluffy, happy stories. Fact was, the oppressive atmosphere made for a somewhat difficult read. Some stories simply didn't resonate with me, probably because I failed to connect with the characters. Though the prose was always very good and balm to my wounds after having read one too many badly written romance book lately.
Also, due to the great prose I decided to round up to 4 stars. I hope to give Galveston a shot someday soon.
Recommended read.
September 23, 2024
Titulo: La profundidad del mar amarillo
Autor: Nic Pizzolatto
Motivo de lectura: #RC2024
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Puntuacion: 3/5
Esta es una antologia que contiene 11 cuentos.
Conozco al autor por la serie "True Detectives" pero es la primera vez que leo su obra.
Pajaro fantasma: es un cuento complejo, que casi podria decirse que trata sobre todo y sobre nada a la misma vez. Sin lugar a dudas su personaje se siente desorientado, y causa el mismo efecto en el lector (o por lo menos en mi). Un cuento rarisimo. 2/5
La vigilia de Amy: un cuento que ahonda en la complejidad de las relaciones familiares, la violencia, la perdida y la desazon. Con cierto mensaje de esperanza al final, abordando el tema complicado que a veces alejarse es mejor que quedarse donde no te valoren. 3/5
1987, en la carreras: una vez mas el autor aborda la complejidad de las relaciones familiares, destacando que muchas veces la madurez emocional nada tiene que ver con la edad.
La crudeza de que a veces la infancia no es un paseo de rosas, el dolor puede estar presente a muy temprana edad (lamentablemente). 3.5/5
Dos orillas: una niña es testigo de un evento traumatico, y el devenir de una vida adulta con visibles traumas. Un hombre que elige el silencio, como metodo de supervivencia. Una historia que atrapa de principio a fin, con un ritmo que nunca decae, hasta ahora mi cuento favorito de la antologia. 4/5.
La profundidad del mar amarillo: la confusion de la adolescencia, y el dolor de llegar a la conclusion que a veces las personas deben resignarse e intentar continuar con la vida. 3/5.
El gremio de ladrones, mujeres extraviadas y sunrise palms: realmente sobre la nada misma, me aburrio. 2/5.
En este punto ya pase la mitad del libro, y sinceramente no me gusta el estilo del autor, en general encuentro meh los cuentos, voy a terminar la antologia a ver si surge alguna joya oculta.
La palma: un hijo que se cuestiona la vida, que cuestiona los principios e ideas, una madre que desea que su hijo fuera mas simple, porque eso seria mas comodo. Un desenlace muy dramatico. 4/5.
Tierra acosada: el hijo de un veterano de Vietnam, y como es el dia a dia de tener un padre traumado por la guerra y crecer en ese ambiente. 3/5.
Nepal: un cuento excesivamente extenso y carente de sentido. Definitivamente hasta ahora el peor cuento de la antologia. 1/5.
Busca y captura: un duelo de miseria humana entre padre e hijo. La complejidad de las relaciones familiares, el trauma y la salud mental, un coctail demasiado volatil. 5/5.
Tumbas de luz: un desproposito, un cuento que no queda claro cual es la intension. 2.5/5.
Autor: Nic Pizzolatto
Motivo de lectura: #RC2024
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Puntuacion: 3/5
Esta es una antologia que contiene 11 cuentos.
Conozco al autor por la serie "True Detectives" pero es la primera vez que leo su obra.
Pajaro fantasma: es un cuento complejo, que casi podria decirse que trata sobre todo y sobre nada a la misma vez. Sin lugar a dudas su personaje se siente desorientado, y causa el mismo efecto en el lector (o por lo menos en mi). Un cuento rarisimo. 2/5
La vigilia de Amy: un cuento que ahonda en la complejidad de las relaciones familiares, la violencia, la perdida y la desazon. Con cierto mensaje de esperanza al final, abordando el tema complicado que a veces alejarse es mejor que quedarse donde no te valoren. 3/5
1987, en la carreras: una vez mas el autor aborda la complejidad de las relaciones familiares, destacando que muchas veces la madurez emocional nada tiene que ver con la edad.
La crudeza de que a veces la infancia no es un paseo de rosas, el dolor puede estar presente a muy temprana edad (lamentablemente). 3.5/5
Dos orillas: una niña es testigo de un evento traumatico, y el devenir de una vida adulta con visibles traumas. Un hombre que elige el silencio, como metodo de supervivencia. Una historia que atrapa de principio a fin, con un ritmo que nunca decae, hasta ahora mi cuento favorito de la antologia. 4/5.
La profundidad del mar amarillo: la confusion de la adolescencia, y el dolor de llegar a la conclusion que a veces las personas deben resignarse e intentar continuar con la vida. 3/5.
El gremio de ladrones, mujeres extraviadas y sunrise palms: realmente sobre la nada misma, me aburrio. 2/5.
En este punto ya pase la mitad del libro, y sinceramente no me gusta el estilo del autor, en general encuentro meh los cuentos, voy a terminar la antologia a ver si surge alguna joya oculta.
La palma: un hijo que se cuestiona la vida, que cuestiona los principios e ideas, una madre que desea que su hijo fuera mas simple, porque eso seria mas comodo. Un desenlace muy dramatico. 4/5.
Tierra acosada: el hijo de un veterano de Vietnam, y como es el dia a dia de tener un padre traumado por la guerra y crecer en ese ambiente. 3/5.
Nepal: un cuento excesivamente extenso y carente de sentido. Definitivamente hasta ahora el peor cuento de la antologia. 1/5.
Busca y captura: un duelo de miseria humana entre padre e hijo. La complejidad de las relaciones familiares, el trauma y la salud mental, un coctail demasiado volatil. 5/5.
Tumbas de luz: un desproposito, un cuento que no queda claro cual es la intension. 2.5/5.
July 9, 2015
I'll go ahead and get this out of the way first: Yes, this is the TRUE DETECTIVE guy, and, no, this book doesn't compare to TRUE DETECTIVE.
I'll also say that I noticed a lot of other reviewers say that these stories, for the most part, didn't stick to their bones. And, I have to agree. After finishing, I have a hard time recalling much of what I read here. Maybe that's my fault, and the other readers'. Maybe we have something wrong with our brains.
I am more than aware, however, of the quality of writing presented in these stories, and the darkness that seeps around the edges. I'm also aware that this is likely a collection of his first fully formed short stories--i.e., maybe written in school or just out of school. It has the feel of an author finding himself. And, with TRUE DETECTIVE, he clearly found his way, but not here in BETWEEN HERE & THE YELLOW SEA.
While this has the sense of being written by a new author (it was published in 2006, so he was 30 or 31 or something), I can say it doesn't read like your typical MFA student's collection of stories--that is, really dry, uber detailed diary writing, which mostly centers around childhood or family, typically the more mundane elements. That's my take on the MFA factory drivel, anyway. Altho, my nutshell take on MFA fiction is: shitty snooze bombs.
But, these stories aren't that. They do, however, drip with LITERARY-ISM. Sometimes that's cool, sometimes it's too obvious the story is attempting to be BIG AND MEANINGFUL.
So it goes.
That is not to say this isn't a book worth reading. And I've heard his novel, GALVESTON, is excellent. This book is good enough that I want to continue reading his fiction. And will.
Also, just to clarify, there were three stories in here (out of nine) that definitely stuck to my bones: GHOST BIRDS, 1987 THE RACES, and NEPAL.
I'll also say that I noticed a lot of other reviewers say that these stories, for the most part, didn't stick to their bones. And, I have to agree. After finishing, I have a hard time recalling much of what I read here. Maybe that's my fault, and the other readers'. Maybe we have something wrong with our brains.
I am more than aware, however, of the quality of writing presented in these stories, and the darkness that seeps around the edges. I'm also aware that this is likely a collection of his first fully formed short stories--i.e., maybe written in school or just out of school. It has the feel of an author finding himself. And, with TRUE DETECTIVE, he clearly found his way, but not here in BETWEEN HERE & THE YELLOW SEA.
While this has the sense of being written by a new author (it was published in 2006, so he was 30 or 31 or something), I can say it doesn't read like your typical MFA student's collection of stories--that is, really dry, uber detailed diary writing, which mostly centers around childhood or family, typically the more mundane elements. That's my take on the MFA factory drivel, anyway. Altho, my nutshell take on MFA fiction is: shitty snooze bombs.
But, these stories aren't that. They do, however, drip with LITERARY-ISM. Sometimes that's cool, sometimes it's too obvious the story is attempting to be BIG AND MEANINGFUL.
So it goes.
That is not to say this isn't a book worth reading. And I've heard his novel, GALVESTON, is excellent. This book is good enough that I want to continue reading his fiction. And will.
Also, just to clarify, there were three stories in here (out of nine) that definitely stuck to my bones: GHOST BIRDS, 1987 THE RACES, and NEPAL.
August 18, 2019
This book was a little hard to find, but I did so because I am consuming everything he puts down. He is from the deep south, in Louisiana, and has written beautifully and accurately about this time and place. I believe the author spent some time in the Midwest (Arkansas), so his stories find their way into the Midwest, and even into my native Missouri.
These stories are propelled by great plot lines and superbly drawn characters from every walk of life. The author reminds me of Raymond Carver some, especially his talent from writing from a woman's point of view, and the push and pull of relationships. He also writes superbly of children's relationships with parents, and the especially the father / son interactions and where they are broken and lacking. But the characters often have pluck, and intelligence, some even rise above and out of their situations. The end of the title story disappointed me a bit, it felt like a writer's workshop experimental foray, and could have used a proper ending. But overall these are viscerally real stories, dripping of sweat, grime and overwhelming pathos - just the antidote for my comfortable, seemingly risk-free lifestyle. Thanks Nic for bringing me back to earth and creating sympathy for real people and pushing me to get out and do something in the real world.
These stories are propelled by great plot lines and superbly drawn characters from every walk of life. The author reminds me of Raymond Carver some, especially his talent from writing from a woman's point of view, and the push and pull of relationships. He also writes superbly of children's relationships with parents, and the especially the father / son interactions and where they are broken and lacking. But the characters often have pluck, and intelligence, some even rise above and out of their situations. The end of the title story disappointed me a bit, it felt like a writer's workshop experimental foray, and could have used a proper ending. But overall these are viscerally real stories, dripping of sweat, grime and overwhelming pathos - just the antidote for my comfortable, seemingly risk-free lifestyle. Thanks Nic for bringing me back to earth and creating sympathy for real people and pushing me to get out and do something in the real world.
December 19, 2015
Pizzolatto es uno de esos narradores de almas, de perfiladores de personajes, más que contadores de historias. Su fuerza está en cómo describe ambientes, en cómo refleja sentimientos más que en sus tramas. Es capaz de escribir relatos bellísimos sin contar apenas nada en ellos.
Como (casi) todas las recopilaciones de relatos, es irregular y algunos ensombrecen la lista. Pero en mi caso el balance es positivo.
Como (casi) todas las recopilaciones de relatos, es irregular y algunos ensombrecen la lista. Pero en mi caso el balance es positivo.
November 8, 2022
Once cuentos cargados de una tristeza sutil pero honda. Algunos de sus personajes arrastran el peso de viejas heridas que contaminan su presente, mientras otros cargan en su interior la semilla de lo que va a doler y la vemos germinar. En algunos se siente el lado doloroso del deseo; en otros, el desgarro de la pérdida.
Son historias sutiles, a veces mucho, pero algunas de ellas (como “Pájaro fantasma”) me acompañaron durante un buen rato al cerrar el libro, terminando de cuajarse en mi interior, dejándome con un regusto de melancolía que me hizo apreciarlas un poco más.
Me resulta difícil leer los libros de Pizzolatto sin tener a True Detective como punto de comparación —que además pone la barra muy alta—, pero tanto su novela como estos cuentos son publicaciones anteriores a esa serie, y no está de más recordarlo. Aquí están presentes los paisajes desolados de la periferia, la violencia que rodea a la miseria y una melancolía persistente que conforman los Estados Unidos que a Pizzolatto le interesa contar.
Mis favoritos: “Tumbas de luz”, “Nepal”, “La plantilla”, “La vigilia de Amy” y “Busca y captura”.
Son historias sutiles, a veces mucho, pero algunas de ellas (como “Pájaro fantasma”) me acompañaron durante un buen rato al cerrar el libro, terminando de cuajarse en mi interior, dejándome con un regusto de melancolía que me hizo apreciarlas un poco más.
Me resulta difícil leer los libros de Pizzolatto sin tener a True Detective como punto de comparación —que además pone la barra muy alta—, pero tanto su novela como estos cuentos son publicaciones anteriores a esa serie, y no está de más recordarlo. Aquí están presentes los paisajes desolados de la periferia, la violencia que rodea a la miseria y una melancolía persistente que conforman los Estados Unidos que a Pizzolatto le interesa contar.
Mis favoritos: “Tumbas de luz”, “Nepal”, “La plantilla”, “La vigilia de Amy” y “Busca y captura”.
October 16, 2016
Es indiscutible que sabe escribir. Y muy bien. Domina las historias en ambientes rurales y deprimidos, como demostró en True detective. En este libro de cuentos, salvo dos o tres, narra unas historias profundas, con personajes muy bien perfilados y que, al leerlos, me ha resultado imposible no visualizarlos en blanco y negro.
February 26, 2014
Nic Pizzolatto is a writer who CAN tell the tales.. I love how he creates such tension in simple stories - and his prose is poetical and fresh.
I liked literary referenes. Rilke, seriously? It was great.
I liked literary referenes. Rilke, seriously? It was great.
Want to read
February 26, 2014I'm adding this because it's from the guy who created True Detective and I'm curious.
July 31, 2013
Lately, Pizzolatto is easily one of my favorite writers. I randomly stumbled upon his novel, Galveston, at a bookstore and decided to give it a chance. It was one of the best novels I've read to date. Gripping, stark, and poignant. And so, I definitely made an effort to check out some of his shorter works, and it certainly paid off.
Pizzolatto seems to be an incredibly talented and skillful writer, both of novels and short stories. His stories pull you in quickly, while getting you extremely interested in both the characters, settings and interplay between the two. Plus, there's usually a symbol or minor analogy that hits home later on. His prose is tighter than most I've read lately. And his stories range widely (as most short story collections do), yet they all seem to have an underlying link in that they get to the heart of both people, the world we live in, and the constant loss and gain of our lives.
What I loved most about the collection was that I usually had no idea where each story was going and I couldn't put any of them down. Pizzolatto certainly knows how to peak your curiosity while keeping a firm grip on both the tone and pace of each story: A samurai park ranger who reaches his zen by basejumping; A football coach and a former student who go on a road trip to bring back the coach's pornstar daughter; An elementary school teacher who tries to communicate with her runaway son with graffiti; A college professor and two other men who go to meet a woman who has fathered a child by one of them, but who suddenly dies, leaving the professor forever wondering if he was the father. And so on. I don't want to give them all away.
In all, I thought the stories were extremely well-written and original. I love the voicings of his characters and they all seemed to be incredibly well sketched. There's no flat characters or annoying narcissist who you just can't relate with. His third person narrations are poetic to say the absolute least. Pizzolatto is truly an awesome writer. There's just no other way to put it.
Pizzolatto seems to be an incredibly talented and skillful writer, both of novels and short stories. His stories pull you in quickly, while getting you extremely interested in both the characters, settings and interplay between the two. Plus, there's usually a symbol or minor analogy that hits home later on. His prose is tighter than most I've read lately. And his stories range widely (as most short story collections do), yet they all seem to have an underlying link in that they get to the heart of both people, the world we live in, and the constant loss and gain of our lives.
What I loved most about the collection was that I usually had no idea where each story was going and I couldn't put any of them down. Pizzolatto certainly knows how to peak your curiosity while keeping a firm grip on both the tone and pace of each story: A samurai park ranger who reaches his zen by basejumping; A football coach and a former student who go on a road trip to bring back the coach's pornstar daughter; An elementary school teacher who tries to communicate with her runaway son with graffiti; A college professor and two other men who go to meet a woman who has fathered a child by one of them, but who suddenly dies, leaving the professor forever wondering if he was the father. And so on. I don't want to give them all away.
In all, I thought the stories were extremely well-written and original. I love the voicings of his characters and they all seemed to be incredibly well sketched. There's no flat characters or annoying narcissist who you just can't relate with. His third person narrations are poetic to say the absolute least. Pizzolatto is truly an awesome writer. There's just no other way to put it.
June 17, 2016
"Ghost Birds" and "Between Here and the Yellow Sea" are the best stories in this collection.
While "Ghost Birds" suffers from the protagonist's aspie-like barrage of literary references, this seems to be a feature of Nic Pizzolatto's work and reminds me of True Detective Season 1. Constant, self-serious references to good books are a quirk that I can't decide whether I enjoy or not.
The other stories are fine, more mood pieces than anything, clearly the work of a talented but young writer. Twenty pages that capture characters and moods, even though the plots go nowhere, that's these stories. However, the last 100 page "Nepal,"-- no thanks. For every moving and dreary moment, the story was sluggish, and it was not quite a novelette but more than a short story.
Pizzolatto seems to be obsessed with people who self-destruct because they experience childhood, or more recent, trauma that they cannot move past. This seems like his personal, lazy writing trope. Consistent self-destruction should not necessarily be conflated with complexity or beauty. Often, it is simply the opposite of surviving. Definitely in True Detective Season 2, and in some of these stories, I think Pizzolatto shortcuts by chronicling self-destructing characters in a bid to signify all their anger and noise as something grandly tragic. Sometimes there is grand tragedy, and sometimes there are just assholes in life and in his work.
I recommend Pizzolatto's Galveston as a solid noir novel instead of this collection of early stories.
While "Ghost Birds" suffers from the protagonist's aspie-like barrage of literary references, this seems to be a feature of Nic Pizzolatto's work and reminds me of True Detective Season 1. Constant, self-serious references to good books are a quirk that I can't decide whether I enjoy or not.
The other stories are fine, more mood pieces than anything, clearly the work of a talented but young writer. Twenty pages that capture characters and moods, even though the plots go nowhere, that's these stories. However, the last 100 page "Nepal,"-- no thanks. For every moving and dreary moment, the story was sluggish, and it was not quite a novelette but more than a short story.
Pizzolatto seems to be obsessed with people who self-destruct because they experience childhood, or more recent, trauma that they cannot move past. This seems like his personal, lazy writing trope. Consistent self-destruction should not necessarily be conflated with complexity or beauty. Often, it is simply the opposite of surviving. Definitely in True Detective Season 2, and in some of these stories, I think Pizzolatto shortcuts by chronicling self-destructing characters in a bid to signify all their anger and noise as something grandly tragic. Sometimes there is grand tragedy, and sometimes there are just assholes in life and in his work.
I recommend Pizzolatto's Galveston as a solid noir novel instead of this collection of early stories.
May 30, 2022
Esta colección de relatos parece tener en común el miedo, el miedo como motor, el miedo como cepo. El miedo, pero también la vergüenza que subyace a la conciencia de ese miedo, y a las consecuencias de las decisiones que de él se derivan. No todos los relatos son igual de buenos, pero desde luego poseen intensidad, imágenes poderosas y conocimiento de la naturaleza humana con todo su espectro de glorias y miserias. Y éstas últimas son muchas....
Así que a los veintiuno me hago la idea de que la principal lección de la vida es que uno debe poner límites a sus deseos porque de lo contrario se le pueden infectar
Así que a los veintiuno me hago la idea de que la principal lección de la vida es que uno debe poner límites a sus deseos porque de lo contrario se le pueden infectar
July 28, 2014
Moody, raw and touching, this collection of short stories is the work of Nic Pizzolatto, the sole writer behind the TV masterpiece True Detective. While all of the stories take place in the southern states of the US, and many deal with modern and real traumas - war veterans, teenage angst, racism and families that are falling apart - there is something provocative and touching in each tale, neatly brought to life by Pizzolatto's fine command of language and creating moments the reader will relate to and remember.
My favourite stories were Two Shores and Haunted Earth.
My favourite stories were Two Shores and Haunted Earth.
February 28, 2014
Pizzolatto's writing has momentum. That's the best way to describe it. Even when few things happen, or everything turns to shit, his descriptions are breathtaking, with the twists begging you to read on. My favorite story was the eponymous one, though the final story was also the delight because the setting (early 1900s) was such a shift from the other stories. Now I'm just kicking myself that I read this and Pizzolatto's novel so quickly.
August 14, 2011
I enjoyed this collection very much! Pizzolatto keeps giving great stories. his novel, Galveston, is one of my favorites of this year.
April 8, 2016
Desolación y tristeza. Pizzolato te lleva lo más abajo que puede llegar el ser humano.
February 26, 2019
This author wrote “Galveston”, a novel that I found exceptional, so I thought I’d give his older collection of short stories a try. These are mostly vignettes, unresolved but insightful glances into the fragility of human relationships. Enjoyable if you like stories that are more sketches than structured, I thought they were well written and thought provoking.
March 29, 2016
This book is like an ugly bruise. The impact was surprising, painful and unwanted and every time I see it, it will remind me of the unfortunate event that was reading this book and only time will make the memory of it go away. This is really disappointing to me as I really like the first season of True Detective. I thought the writing and monologues were beautiful and the story was woven in a beautiful but gritty way. I regret reading this book. I had hoped that a collection of these short stories would've shown some diversity and expansion in writing, but it only wound up letting me down and making me feel like I wasted my time one something that I thought, that I'd hoped would pay off in some way...it didn't. I do NOT recommend this book.
February 22, 2014
As a huge fan of True Detectives, for which Pizzolatto is the sole screenwriter, I dove into this book with enthusiasm. The writing style is engaging and the character composition well done. The overall theme, though, if there is one, is one of hopelessness, a consequence of an unrelenting reality. I was fine with that, but would also have liked to have seen a story or two in which morality really mattered, and I'm not sure it does matter to Pizzolatto. Hence, a four-star instead of a five-star.
March 7, 2014
I bought both this book and Galveston because Nic's debut on TV, TRUE DETECTIVE (which, as I'm writing this, is on it's next-to-last episode, and I'm loving every minute of it). I decided to give his stories a chance, even though I had never heard of him before.
I'm glad I did. The stories collected in this volume are beautiful and sad. Pizzolato can quote Rilke without sounding high-brow, while showing us the lives of people we usually wouldn't care about, but reading him we find we do, and we want to know more about them.
I'm glad I did. The stories collected in this volume are beautiful and sad. Pizzolato can quote Rilke without sounding high-brow, while showing us the lives of people we usually wouldn't care about, but reading him we find we do, and we want to know more about them.
September 11, 2017
Ninguno de los relatos de esta colección es una obra maestra. Pero ninguno deja de ser interesante, todos muestran una aguda sensibilidad para asomarnos a historias de seres sensibles y vulnerables (de esos que nos mostraron Carver o Ford, casi siempre solitarios o temerosos de serlo, de esos que a veces quedan relegados en nuestras sociedades. Una muy interesante y recomendable lectura del mismo autor de Galveston.
October 4, 2019
Recopilación bastante irregular de relatos, a la que salva el estilo del escritor y su obsesión paisajística, que también se ve en True Detective. Quitando uno de los primeros, "El pájaro fantasma", no hay ningún cuento que destaque sobre los demás, porque está bastante claro que aquí es más importante el "cómo" que el "qué". Los relatos de Pizzolatto no quieren ser historias, sino estados de ánimo, revelaciones grabadas en el entorno decaído y abandonado del Midwest y los pantanos americanos. Cuando lo logra, el ambiente es fantasmal, como de pesadilla lenta y sugerente. Y cuando no, un soberano coñazo.
December 7, 2023
♠️10 de espadas♠️
La profundidad del mar amarillo es una colección de relatos que se enfocan principalmente en la vida interior de sus personajes; la capacidad de Pizzolato para perfilarlos yace en su poética y directa prosa: bastan pocos elementos para que podamos imaginar quienes son e incluso podamos empatizar con ellos.
Sin embargo, la colección dista de ser perfecta. Algunos cuentos se extienden innecesariamente y en pasajes se sienten hechos con molde en tono y forma.
Es bueno, cumple y tiene un par de cuentos memorables.
Y ya está.
La profundidad del mar amarillo es una colección de relatos que se enfocan principalmente en la vida interior de sus personajes; la capacidad de Pizzolato para perfilarlos yace en su poética y directa prosa: bastan pocos elementos para que podamos imaginar quienes son e incluso podamos empatizar con ellos.
Sin embargo, la colección dista de ser perfecta. Algunos cuentos se extienden innecesariamente y en pasajes se sienten hechos con molde en tono y forma.
Es bueno, cumple y tiene un par de cuentos memorables.
Y ya está.
July 23, 2019
Between Here and the Yellow Sea is a well written collection of bleak short stories depicting the fragility of relationships and minds alike. The prose is written with skill and I especially loved the melancholic atmosphere throughout. If you like gritty, nihilistic stories I’d recommend this to you.
April 9, 2024
Antologia de relats del creador i guionista de True Detective. Es llegeixen amb facilitat, estan ben escrits i reflexionats, però no tenen la força de 'Galveston' (novel·la que va escriure poc després). A 'La profundidad del mar amarillo' hi trobem costumisme, incomoditat i tragèdia. Hi ha tres relats que són apassionants, la resta no m'han interessat tant.
June 15, 2017
Ghost Birds: 4,5
Amy's Watch: 3
1987, The Races: 1
Two Shores: 3
Between Here and the Yellow Sea: 2
The Guild of Thives, Lost Woman, and Sunrise Palms: 2
A Cryptograph: 4
Haunted Earth: 3
Nepal: 4,5
Amy's Watch: 3
1987, The Races: 1
Two Shores: 3
Between Here and the Yellow Sea: 2
The Guild of Thives, Lost Woman, and Sunrise Palms: 2
A Cryptograph: 4
Haunted Earth: 3
Nepal: 4,5
July 5, 2016
I imagine most people have found this collection after seeing Pizzolatto’s work on True Detective. The snippets I’ve seen make it seem excellent, and it’s high on my to-watch list, but I’m here more because I very much enjoyed his novel, Galveston. It was the best of several hardboiled novels I got to in a row a year or two ago, and he’s been on my radar since.
This collection is certainly solid, and I enjoyed more or less all the stories in it. As I see it, Pizzolatto does two things particularly well. First, he conjures a sense of place. Whether these stories come from St. Louis, the Louisiana Gulf, ex-urban Indianapolis, or Port Arthur, Texas, you get the sense he knows his scene. It feels as if each place is his hometown, as if he’s bringing a lifetime’s worth of perspective to it.
Second, at least in the first nine stories, he has a clear hardboiled/noir sensibility. He seems to tell his stories in the crisp, clear order in which they should be told. His characters are genuinely haunted and face genuine dilemmas. They’re guided by philosophies, but their philosophies take them only so far.
I bracket off the last two stories because, as the notes report, they were added to an earlier edition that had only those first nine. These last two stories are very good, better than most of the early ones, but they strike me as having a different feel. They’re more ambitious in their narrative structure, more complex in the way they frame the questions. They are, in other words, less hardboiled, less directed toward some set of primal questions. I’m not complaining at their inclusion, but they do seem to alter the mood of the collection.
As far as I’m concerned, the strongest story here is the first, “Ghost Birds.” Its central character is a BASE jumper; he’s secured a night watchman job at the St. Louis Arch, and he jumps from it, camouflaged at night. When a college girl figures out his secret, she demands he teach her the skills, and they fall in love. He’s lost an earlier girlfriend, though, and he can’t imagine bringing this one into something so dangerous. That’s just the outline, but the dilemma is powerful, and the price he pays for his sense of justice is compelling.
I also very much liked “1987, The Races,” about a kid who, sensing his father’s humiliation, further humiliates him for no clear reason. Other good ones are “Between Here and the Yellow Sea,” “The Guild of Thieves, Lost Women and Sunrise Palms,” and “Nepal” (the last noir of the original nine stories).
On the evidence of this and Galveston, to say nothing of his reputation for True Detective, Pizzolatto remains the real deal.
This collection is certainly solid, and I enjoyed more or less all the stories in it. As I see it, Pizzolatto does two things particularly well. First, he conjures a sense of place. Whether these stories come from St. Louis, the Louisiana Gulf, ex-urban Indianapolis, or Port Arthur, Texas, you get the sense he knows his scene. It feels as if each place is his hometown, as if he’s bringing a lifetime’s worth of perspective to it.
Second, at least in the first nine stories, he has a clear hardboiled/noir sensibility. He seems to tell his stories in the crisp, clear order in which they should be told. His characters are genuinely haunted and face genuine dilemmas. They’re guided by philosophies, but their philosophies take them only so far.
I bracket off the last two stories because, as the notes report, they were added to an earlier edition that had only those first nine. These last two stories are very good, better than most of the early ones, but they strike me as having a different feel. They’re more ambitious in their narrative structure, more complex in the way they frame the questions. They are, in other words, less hardboiled, less directed toward some set of primal questions. I’m not complaining at their inclusion, but they do seem to alter the mood of the collection.
As far as I’m concerned, the strongest story here is the first, “Ghost Birds.” Its central character is a BASE jumper; he’s secured a night watchman job at the St. Louis Arch, and he jumps from it, camouflaged at night. When a college girl figures out his secret, she demands he teach her the skills, and they fall in love. He’s lost an earlier girlfriend, though, and he can’t imagine bringing this one into something so dangerous. That’s just the outline, but the dilemma is powerful, and the price he pays for his sense of justice is compelling.
I also very much liked “1987, The Races,” about a kid who, sensing his father’s humiliation, further humiliates him for no clear reason. Other good ones are “Between Here and the Yellow Sea,” “The Guild of Thieves, Lost Women and Sunrise Palms,” and “Nepal” (the last noir of the original nine stories).
On the evidence of this and Galveston, to say nothing of his reputation for True Detective, Pizzolatto remains the real deal.
May 12, 2016
Recopilación de relatos cortos escritos antes de que Pizzolato saltara al estrellato y publicados originalmente de manera individual en revistas.
Esto condiciona las expectativas del libro, las historias no tienen nada que ver la una con la otra, lo único que las une es su autor y como todo libro recopilatorio tiene sus altos y sus bajos. Evidentemente no todos está al mismo nivel, hay algunos muy buenos y otros más flojitos e inconsistentes.
Dicho esto, lo que sí está claro es que la mano del creador de True Detective y de Galveston está detrás. Hay unos puntos comunes en todos ellos: Todos son retratos de perdedores, todos tienen un trauma con sus orígenes y todos tienen cuentas que resolver con su familia, en concreto con su padre: El padre ausente, el padre autoritario, el padre ridículo, el padre perdedor…
Eso unido a una localización asfixiante: las zonas pantanosas y post-industriales de Luisiana y Misisipi. Esto crea una atmósfera bastante subyugante y decadente en todos ellos.
Todo lo que he leído/visto de Nic Pizzolato está en la misma línea: Es un grandísimo creador de ambientes, situaciones y personajes pero algo flojo en el desarrollo de un argumento.
La mayoría de los relatos dejan con ganas de que se desarrolle una historia a partir de la situación y los personajes creados y esa es la parte más frustrante de esta recopilación.
Esto condiciona las expectativas del libro, las historias no tienen nada que ver la una con la otra, lo único que las une es su autor y como todo libro recopilatorio tiene sus altos y sus bajos. Evidentemente no todos está al mismo nivel, hay algunos muy buenos y otros más flojitos e inconsistentes.
Dicho esto, lo que sí está claro es que la mano del creador de True Detective y de Galveston está detrás. Hay unos puntos comunes en todos ellos: Todos son retratos de perdedores, todos tienen un trauma con sus orígenes y todos tienen cuentas que resolver con su familia, en concreto con su padre: El padre ausente, el padre autoritario, el padre ridículo, el padre perdedor…
Eso unido a una localización asfixiante: las zonas pantanosas y post-industriales de Luisiana y Misisipi. Esto crea una atmósfera bastante subyugante y decadente en todos ellos.
Todo lo que he leído/visto de Nic Pizzolato está en la misma línea: Es un grandísimo creador de ambientes, situaciones y personajes pero algo flojo en el desarrollo de un argumento.
La mayoría de los relatos dejan con ganas de que se desarrolle una historia a partir de la situación y los personajes creados y esa es la parte más frustrante de esta recopilación.
July 25, 2014
I really liked these:
Between Here and the Yellow Sea
The Guild of Thieves, Lost Women, and Sunrise Palms
I quite liked:
Nepal (opening paragraphs reminiscent in the best way of Denis Johnson)
1987, The Races (I wish this had ended differently – with the father winning small and getting sort of manic just as he's confronting the son over the abandonment. I thought that would make it perfect. But it isn't my story, is it. Otherwise, the penultimate confrontation between them is perfect, really good.)
Some of the others are finding their voice. There's a repetition of certain themes (idealized women in particular) that work brilliantly in some stories but not as well in others, especially as some of the narrators are more interesting than others, although most share certain demographic features (straight, white, mostly working class men).
Overall enjoyed it. I thought Nepal was a nice break in tone from the others, a good closing novella.
Between Here and the Yellow Sea
The Guild of Thieves, Lost Women, and Sunrise Palms
I quite liked:
Nepal (opening paragraphs reminiscent in the best way of Denis Johnson)
1987, The Races (I wish this had ended differently – with the father winning small and getting sort of manic just as he's confronting the son over the abandonment. I thought that would make it perfect. But it isn't my story, is it. Otherwise, the penultimate confrontation between them is perfect, really good.)
Some of the others are finding their voice. There's a repetition of certain themes (idealized women in particular) that work brilliantly in some stories but not as well in others, especially as some of the narrators are more interesting than others, although most share certain demographic features (straight, white, mostly working class men).
Overall enjoyed it. I thought Nepal was a nice break in tone from the others, a good closing novella.
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