Peoples & Cultures - Humor

An Ambulance Is on the Way

Name: An Ambulance Is on the Way
Author: Jonathan Wilson
ISBN: 9780375422102

by Jonathan Wilson

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Overview

National Jewish Book Award finalist Jonathan Wilson’s uproariously funny stories showcase the neuroses of suburban men as they ruminate, self-medicate, and acclimate to the rhythms of middle age.

From the slacker husband who spends his day running household errands, chatting up the local soccer moms, and drinking most of the wine he was instructed to buy for his wife’s women’s-group meeting, to the man who calls an old girlfriend while waiting for the verdict from his cardiologist, to the good Jewish son who is torn between the caustic wit of his very Jewish mother and the fertility urges of his very not-Jewish girlfriend, each of these stories is touched by Wilson’s affection for male foibles. Taken together, they give us a nuanced picture of men in hot water–with women, their teenage kids, and their own consciences.

About the Author, Jonathan Wilson

Jonathan Wilson is the author of the novels A Palestine Affair, a 2004 finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, and The Hiding Room, and of Schoom, a collection of stories. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Best American Short Stories, and Ploughshares, among other publications, and he has received a Guggenheim Fellowship. He teaches English at Tufts University and lives in Newton, Massachusetts, with his wife and two sons.

Good To Know

In our interview, Wilson revealed some fun and fascinating facts about himself, including:

"At the age of 17 I was the fastest Jewish runner in England."

"I covered the 1994 soccer World Cup for The New Yorker. It was the best writing gig I ever had in my life."

"I became a U.S. citizen ten years ago. I got a couple of questions wrong on the test, but they let me through anyway."

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Medical crises bring modest epiphanies in a collection of 11 lightly comic, contemplative stories by the author of A Palestine Affair. In "Mini-Joe," a man who believes he has a serious heart ailment calls an old ex-girlfriend; a humorously poignant conversation ensues before he learns it was a false alarm and vows to become a better man. In "Dead Ringers," a man with prostate problems and a crotchety mother finally goes to tend the grave of a brother who died in infancy. The title story is the most fully articulated rendering of the motif, as an MRI prompts a man to conduct a thorough re-examination of his life. Unavoidably, the conceit wears thin, as the stories range from thoughtful and moving to fragmented and ironic. But Wilson also plumbs the middle-aged Jewish male psyche through different routes: "Tosh" puts the spotlight on a Mallorca drug dealer and womanizer who is set up for a bust by one of his dates; "Fat Twins" observes a father's attempt to connect with his teenage son on a trip to Jamaica. "Fundamentals," a highlight of the collection, tells of its female American narrator's seduction by a British Jew and her subsequent discovery of his true identity. Wilson is a deft, subtle writer who often neatly turns the tables on his protagonists to reveal the surprising inside the mundane. (Feb. 15) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

The subtitle of Wilson's (A Palestine Affair) second collection is limiting, as the subjects and settings vary widely. In the title story and others, middle-aged male health issues are at the fore as some of the characters confront medical crises and are forced to deal with friends and family in new ways. The settings of the stories are equally far flung, as in "Lothar and Inez," where a chance meeting between passengers on a flight to Madrid is portrayed through the contrasting imaginations of the characters. Religious matters come into play, as many characters ponder aspects of the Jewish faith, and some recall distant relatives who were victims of the Holocaust. Elegantly written with humor and grit, this collection is recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/04.]-Jim Coan, SUNY Coll. at Oneonta Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.