The Review of Contemporary Fiction

The Disobediance of Water by Sena Jeter Naslund
Richard J. Murphy

Sena Jeter Naslund. The Disobedience of Water. David R. Godine, 1999. 212 pp. $21.95.

Of the eight stories in this book, several have appeared in literary periodicals, and two are taken from earlier books. Naslund’s characters continually face the opacity of surfaces, at risk because of what they can neither grasp nor affect. At the same time, the reader is astounded by stunning turns of revelation and lovely passages. What at first might seem self-consciously literary slips back into the normality of the unexpected occurrences of life, coincidental or not. Naslund lets us into the consciousness of her characters, many of whom are highly literate, well educated, or artistic, though her range here takes us to children, as in “I Am Born,” in which a young girl’s very personal nickname is taken and given to a new baby, or in “Burning Boy,” in which racial codes and sexuality elude young Skeet.
“The Death of Julius Geissler” introduces us to a virtuoso violinist, European in origin, playing in the U.S. with a new, young accompanist. Geissler’s recollections of his sister, her relationship with Geissler’s manager Alex, and his playing of Tartini’s “The Devil’s Trill” allow us to recognize the beauty and self-absorption of the artist and to witness both the world he has made in concert halls and his attraction to the common, playing in parks while Alex frets over Geissler’s health, safety, and the Stradivarius. The writing, depicting the music and the feeling it engenders, carries readers deeply into the scene and its effects, jarred occasionally by Alex’s material concerns and other external forces that threaten the delicate beauty we witness. Like Tartini, in this story and elsewhere, Naslund combines strong technical and poetic qualities. We should thank Godine for publishing this author; my only regret was the absence of the lovely “Five Lessons from a Master Class” (Ice Skating); this author writes wonderfully about music and character, and that sense of nuance resonates throughout this collection. [Richard J. Murphy]


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The Review of Contemporary Fiction The Disobediance of Water by Sena Jeter Naslund Richard J. Murphy Sena Jeter Naslund. The Disobedience of Water. David R. Godine, 1999. 212 pp. $21.95. Of the eight stories in this book, several have appeared in literary periodicals, and two are taken from earlier books. Naslund’s characters continually face the opacity of surfaces, at risk because of what they can neither grasp nor affect. At the same time, the reader is astounded by stunning turns of revelation and lovely passages. What at first might seem self-consciously literary slips back into the normality of the unexpected occurrences of life, coincidental or not. Naslund lets us into the consciousness of her characters, many of whom are highly literate, well educated, or artistic, though her range here takes us to children, as in “I Am Born,” in which a young girl’s very personal nickname is taken and given to a new baby, or in “Burning Boy,” in which racial codes and sexuality elude young Skeet. “The Death of Julius Geissler” introduces us to a virtuoso violinist, European in origin, playing in the U.S. with a new, young accompanist. Geissler’s recollections of his sister, her relationship with Geissler’s manager Alex, and his playing of Tartini’s “The Devil’s Trill” allow us to recognize the beauty and self-absorption of the artist and to witness both the world he has made in concert halls and his attraction to the common, playing in parks while Alex frets over Geissler’s health, safety, and the Stradivarius. The writing, depicting the music and the feeling it engenders, carries readers deeply into the scene and its effects, jarred occasionally by Alex’s material concerns and other external forces that threaten the delicate beauty we witness. Like Tartini, in this story and elsewhere, Naslund combines strong technical and poetic qualities. We should thank Godine for publishing this author; my only regret was the absence of the lovely “Five Lessons from a Master Class” (Ice Skating); this author writes wonderfully about music and character, and that sense of nuance resonates throughout this collection. [Richard J. Murphy]

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