A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life

I think one might describe this as a book about writing, and I suppose it is. But for me it’s primarily a book about careful, mindful reading. Which makes a better writer, of course, but even for someone like myself who isn’t interested in writing, it makes reading itself much deeper and more rewarding. We often approach fiction in a passive kind of way—looking for relaxation, escape, fun. But Saunders wants to call our awareness to the richer experience that’s available just below the surface, if we’re willing to engage a bit more and with a bit of intentionality. Honestly, the biggest shift might be just slowing the reading process down to notice more. Even just changing pace and stepping back from the work does tend to open it up and reveal what’s really going on. But Saunders also has some specific, valuable ideas—not least, that (especially in a short story) everything on the page is there because the author chose to put it there. I’ve read quite a bit, but I hadn’t ever really developed the habit of close reading that Saunders implicitly promotes here. To be honest, when I had done this kind of reading, it felt a bit artificial, overly analytical. But there’s something very different going on in Saunders’ approach—he reads with soft eyes, finding the wonder that lies in the author’s work. And his sense of wonder is catching.

Like auditing a George Saunders MFA class.

I enjoyed it and would like to revisit the exercises included, feels like I can continue enjoying it even though I'm done

I am now head over heels for Saunders… I need him to explain more short stories to me. He made me fall in love with the format through this book. ❤️

I would read a million books of George Saunders explaining literature or anything to me.