‘There’s Something I Want You To Do’: Baxter is a brilliant writer

There's no doubt that Charles Baxter is a brilliant writer, a treasure of the Midwest. But even the greats can stumble, and unfortunately Baxter does just that in his new collection, 'There's Something I Want You to Do” (Pantheon, $24.95).

Short story collections don't sell nearly as well as novels. So writers will sometimes work to produce collections of linked stories in order to appeal to a wider readership. It's an idea that can work beautifully (see 'Winesburg, Ohio” by Sherwood Anderson or, more recently, 'Now We Will Be Happy” by Amina Gautier), but in his latest collection Baxter takes the idea of connection a bit too far.

Not only does Baxter overlap characters and plot lines, but stories are coupled, with one exploring a vice, the other a virtue (stories are arranged accordingly). Each story also includes the title of the collection at some point ('There's something I want you to do,”) making reading this collection less like a literary exploration and more like an Easter Egg Hunt. The connections, which could be charming and poignant, instead feel forced, making it difficult for readers to connect with the characters. We're so busy looking at the blueprints that we can't enjoy the masterpiece in front of us.

Which is a shame because Baxter's writing is sharper than ever as he explores heartbreaking storylines ranging from a happily married man taking in his now handicapped ex-wife to an overworked pediatrician who sees visions of the dead on his evening walks along the Mississippi.

Lesser writers might need gimmicks and trends to sell titles, but Baxter is simply too good for this. Hopefully in his next collection Baxter will let the stories speak for themselves.