Table for Two Review: Brevity at its most immaculate
After reading his three previous novels and attempting to track down his more limited-release short stories, essays, and novellas, I finally read Table for Two. This is my first venture into a short story collection that is entirely fictional and written by a sole author. Towles is a wonderful auteur, but does this half-short-story, half-novella collection work? Does he live up to his previous work in Table for Two? That's what I, Brighton Nelson, will delve into in today's review. Thanks so much for joining me, and I hope you enjoy your time on the site today!
I'll get the negatives out of the way first, so we can get into the good stuff and save the best for last. First of all, I was surprised by the quality disparity between the fictions of the first half and the Eve in Hollywood novella—and I don't mean that as a slight, because the Eve in Hollywood novella is still a solid book. However, the first half is an incredible array of short stories that is dripping with meaningful reflections on life and doing so in such short runtimes. While Eve in Hollywood was cute and a welcome addition to his bibliography, I felt it said less than any of the short stories, even though it was far longer.
I wasn't a big fan of The Lincoln Highway or its approach to telling its story, and this novella shares the trend of too many POVs that don't feel necessary. Eve felt sidelined in her own novel, like a looming presence, not a protagonist. While I love the idea, in execution, she felt small in her own story. I feel this would be more effective as an Eve short story, or as a full-length novel that really fleshes out why she became the enigmatic figure she is.
While I enjoyed Towles trying to write a more plot-focused novella with action, mystery, and scandal, those elements felt rushed. Each character's perspective also felt more like setup for a character who didn't quite get fully paid off, rather than a full arc like in the short stories. Like The Lincoln Highway, I felt the premise's promise wasn't fully realized, and it confusingly meandered through parts with a few too many perspectives.
There are still some great elements of Eve in Hollywood, though. These positives are enough for me to still recommend the book, particularly if you were a fan of her character in Rules of Civility... just don't expect it to be as good as that one. The prose of Eve in Hollywood was as phenomenal as ever, and, as always, Towles sucks you into the world. Here, his painted picture of 1930s Los Angeles and its golden-age glamour was fantastic and realistic.
Eve's turn from a quiet yet resilient New York socialite to a girl boss who gains power through keen observation, emotional composure, and unexpected leverage was fantastic. While she deserved more room to show her character, her flair was one of the best parts. Additionally, Towles efficiently makes each side character interesting, even if they deserved more development. They are distinct, and they play different roles that pay off in the climax.
Eve in Hollywood has all of Amor Towles's prose-level flair and impeccable worldbuilding, and it even adds more mystery and action than usual. It introduces a lot of interesting characters, but with a brief page count, all of their intrigue ends up being underdeveloped, particularly Eve, who deserved better.
Yet, while I have my qualms with Eve in Hollywood, I have almost nothing wrong with the rest of the book, outside of the missed potential of "The Ballad of Timothy Touchett", which was easily the weakest story here. It was a good concept, but it felt like it needed more time to become interesting. As-is, it felt like it ended too soon to make a big impact.
Anyhow, the rest of the Table for Two fictions are perhaps the best work Towles has done in his career so far, and a big upgrade from The Lincoln Highway. I adored Gentleman in Moscow and quite enjoyed Rules of Civility, but some of these stories were on another level. Every story here explores its themes with impressive intrigue and hooking prose. I mean, the amount he packed into these short stories made me realize that near-excessive brevity can be far stronger than taking every good idea and turning it into a full novel. And, not trying to dig on Towles, but he wasn't the author I expected to do short fiction so well, since his novels have been so impactful, much in part because of the time they spend building out a world and themes. I often read short stories and am left feeling completely unsatiated and borderline sad that the story didn't have that much depth... These fictions were the antithesis of my typical worldview.
"The Line" tells an incredible story about a man who becomes absorbed in his job of saving spots in queues. It explores two people who once loved each other, growing far apart after finding themselves living such different lives. It also touches on how this doesn'talways change when uprooted and taken to New York City. It's equal parts a nostalgic reflection on a bygone era and a horror story about relationship rot and how it affects the couple involved. Yet, these themes aren't the only reason to keep reading: the writing, small moments, and characters are so effective.
"The Ballad of Timothy Touchett" is an exposé on how some people get so wrapped up in trying to be something that they're not that they regress to the point of breaking. While I feel this story had much more potential than was displayed, it's also an adamant testament to how scary trying to break into a creative field can be, and how it can weigh on you.
"Hasta Luego" is one of Towles's most high-concept, fast-paced works. This book delves into themes of alcoholism and unconditional love, while being adjacent to a bottle thriller. He realizes he shouldn't treat his wife with anything but overwhelming love, even amid crisis.
"I Will Survive" is simply bizarre. It's a wonderfully whimsical mystery about a husband who's got a secret, and when he reveals it, it drives an eternal wedge into his marriage. This story shows the problems of distrust, but also the unfair judgment of those who scold their loved ones for trying to find happiness outside the home.
"The Bootlegger" is basically a domestic horror story, where a man is so obsessed with the de jure nature of the law that he doesn't consider the de facto angle. His obsession clashes with his nature to over-apologize for everything. So he constantly harms people, but he spends much of his time and energy trying to stalk him with apologies. It was an absolute tornado to behold.
"The DiDomenico Fragment" might not be a very explosive finale. Still, considering that it feels like an elevated take on a "filler" chapter from Rules of Civility with the wit of Count Rostov's appreciation of the world, I'm not complaining. It's mostly about a man who ends up treating art for financial gain, which especially resonates with people like me who are unrelentingly rolling our eyes at stupid phenomena like NFTs and copy-pasted, shot-for-shot remakes.
The Brighton's Bookshelf Verdict
Brighton's Bookshelf Score - 9/10
Letter Score - S
While Table for Two is brought down a little bit by the fact that it's only 230 pages of new content and the rest is an expanded version of a really good but not incredible novella, its short stories are so moving, punchy, emotional, and thematically enriched that this is still one of my favorite novels I've read this year thus far.
Interested in checking out some of my other Amor Towles book reviews? Or my literary fiction and historical fiction novel reviews? Check them out below!
Author Bio
Author Bio
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