4 out of 5

Book excerpts are an odd addition to One Story.  Certainly when the books are short story collections it can work, although once you find out it’s just a sample of the whole, it can sometimes undermine the impact – the realization that you’re maybe supposed to see how this slice fits into the bigger picture.  Charles Bock’s ‘Case Studies’ is exactly what its title sounds like: short snapshots of medical cases, specifically (at least for this One Story) related to cancer.  And because these studies are so disconnected from one another beyond the shared illness, it especially is one of those instances where you have to wonder how this reads when it’s all together.  However, the stories related are so short and so intriguing (in that unfortunate accident-that-you-slow-down-to-gawk-at kind of way) that you’re too busy turning pages to be too concerned.  I’m never… quite sure how we’re supposed to interpret medical porn like this.  Bock’s voice is a nice balance between personal and clinical, giving us POV personality but careful to make sure we’re aware of the hopelessness of the situations as well, but again, beyond the constant reminder that none of us are safe, what do we do with texts like these?

So while ‘Case Studies’ was undeniably interesting and well written, it’s not the kind of topic that makes me want to seek out the fuller edition.  …Wrapping back around, maybe that does make it a perfect excerpt for One Story: it’s quite a perfect capture of (I would assume) the book’s tone, letting you make a fully informed opinion on whether or not you want more.