2 out of 5

I do try to be objective, but of course… it’s impossible to do so completely.  And I cannot completely circumvent my dislike for the kind of stories that encompass ‘A Party for the Colonel:’ politically-charged snapshots.  I say this realizing that some of my favorite works – Catch-22, Howard the Duck – have absolutely tackled political issues of the time, but – snapshotness aside – they do so through a slightly ridiculous filter which removes the timely feeling; the emotions become universal; the ridiculousness of one moment, of a particular moment, can be extended to whenever and wherever, which only more fully underlines how ridiculous it is.  And ‘Colonel’ isn’t so timely that it need be dated 2015 (Johannesburg hasn’t been great for a while, as far as I’m aware), but just like the Occupy movement has precedents in Big Business across the years, it’s all in the approach to the topic that belies whether you’re writing with an eye on the world and history (which I can appreciate) or politics and the present.  Writing like this has to exist, of course, and it’s more accessible to others where the stuff I like doesn’t reach ’em.  So I’m not here to say ‘Party’ shouldn’t have been written.  I’m here to say I didn’t like it.

And here is the main reason: That I was bored.  Kola’s agenda (which, unfortunately, is the word that comes to mind with stories of this nature) is apparent from the first paragraph.  An Indian salesman’s sales being celebrated by the white men and women of his company, the titular Colonel – the salesman – and his wife in an unspoken war about their culture, about success; the mention of ‘groups of white people’ and Johannesburg are enough to get the gist, told to us over the shoulder of the wife, uncomfortable in current company.  The approach to the celebration is a sensible lead up to our conclusion, which appropriately comes at a particular punctuation in the festivities, but in order to lend the setting weight, Kola keeps flashing back to the couple’s history, and the lack of happening between the flashbacks – as our POV is that of an observer, one unwilling to openly share their opinion – gives the story a slow, non-moving sensation.  There is a worthwhile theme of generations woven in, which does make the ending very satisfying (a difficult thing in most short stories), but I’m not sure if my reading-time was earned to get there.

Again: my bias is certainly at play.  But I’ve been surprised in the past how interesting topics I don’t care about can be when shared in a certain voice.  ‘A Party for the Colonel’ – though professionally written, and sensibly organized – simply held no surprises, giving away everything you need to know about theme and tone from the start.