“Asleep at the Wheel”
by T. Coraghessan Boyle
from the February 11, 2019 issue of The New Yorker

Even though I’ve only loved a few of them, I’m always excited when I see that Boyle has a new story in The New Yorker. His ability to carry me from start to finish with an exciting voice is something I always enjoy even if the story itself doesn’t speak to me. To be honest, looking at the first paragraph, I’m thinking that might be the case again here:

The car says this to her: “Cindy, listen, I know you’ve got to get over to 1133 Hollister Avenue by 2 p.m. for your meeting with Rose Taylor, of Taylor, Levine & Rodriguez, L.L.P., but did you hear that Les Bourses is having a thirty-per-cent-off sale? And, remember, they carry the complete Picard line you like—in particular, that cute cross-body bag in fuchsia you had your eye on last week. They have two left in stock.”

I haven’t had a chance to look at this story at all (I’ve been on holiday and am just now catching up a bit — I’ve back-dated this post so it looks like it went up on Monday, as usual, instead of Wednesday!), so hopefully you can all start the conversation below. Let us know what you think! Is this one of his strong stories? I’m excited to see for myself but also to hear what you think. It’s short, so I’ll jump in soon!

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