The evocative short stories in Hazardous Pay, Shirt Talk, and Twenty-Four Other Stories revel in the bittersweet emotions related to growing up and growing old.
Ivan Prashker’s energetic short story collection Hazardous Pay, Shirt Talk, and Twenty-Four Other Stories captures various Jewish American experiences in the twentieth century.
Covering childhood events, wartime anecdotes, and wistful reminiscences, these tales are often set in New York City but include detours to other parts of the US and Europe. Many center Eric, a New York denizen who struggles to become a writer and to cope with the loss of his family members. Other tales touch on traumatic historical events including the Holocaust and segregation in the South during the fifties.
Regardless of its subject, each tale is heightened by moments of revelation and catharsis. Jewish rituals and heritage step to the fore in “Minyan,” as the violent, unexpected death of Eric’s grandfather leads to a confrontation at a memorial service and the severing of a friendship. In the wry entry “Doubleheader,” youthful exuberance mixes with complicity as Eric and his friends take in a Yankees game, only for Eric to stumble upon an uncomfortable secret involving his friend’s sister. In later stories, Eric, now in his latter years, becomes reflective, reestablishing contact with long-lost friends and coming to terms with his fraught relationship with his late father.
The Holocaust and military service are handled with care. In “R&R,” two sisters take an outwardly idyllic trip to the countryside, except they’re visiting a Nazi concentration camp. The banality of their everyday banter contrasts with the grim reality of the situation. In “The Uninvited Guest,” a bratty daughter who disdains her fusty immigrant parents has her comfortable existence shaken up by a visit from a family friend and Holocaust survivor. And “Hazardous Pay” takes a sober look at race relations as a Jewish corporal is tasked with escorting a Black military deserter back to Fort Bliss. The two find common ground as they encounter discrimination. An unlikely friendship also informs “Van,” in which a young American soldier who’s stationed in North Carolina befriends a visiting Vietnamese officer who’s destined for tragedy during the Vietnam War.
Most of the tales feature characters arriving at a moment of revelation thanks to an unexpected event. Some stories, like “The Visitor,” in which a Frenchman shows up without warning and claims to be a woman’s illegitimate son, are without concluding catharsis. Nevertheless, most of the book is characterized by verisimilitude, with details about movies and deli sandwiches enlivening scenes. Also reflected are the quirky mannerisms of a rabbi who ends up presiding over the marriages of every member of Eric’s family.
A mosaic that spans an entire lifetime of memories, promises, and regrets, the short story collection Hazardous Pay, Shirt Talk, and Twenty-Four Other Stories finds extraordinary moments in ordinary life.
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