The Big Impossible | Edward J. Delaney

My review of Edward J. Delaney’s “The Big Impossible” ran today at WBUR’s The ARTery.

I’m a big fan of Delaney’s writing, and was excited to find that one of the stories in this collection, “House of Sully,” was set in my native Dorchester. And even though the story takes place in 1968, the mood and feeling he manages to evoke was startlingly familiar to me.

The family he writes about could easily be my own. The conversations they have, full of affectionate barbs and sarcastic humor, are pitch perfect. Delaney always gives the impression that he knows his characters and understands where they’re coming from, and while I’d always appreciated how real his characters felt, I was still shocked by how on point this story was. It’s uncanny.

And then he throws a curveball with the titular novella, setting it far from New England, where most of his stories are based. Instead, we follow a drifter across the Great Plains. But still, Delaney manages to make you feel like you’ve been there, like you know these people and this life. It’s a really beautiful story, one that showcases Delaney’s range and depth.