BookBrowse Reviews An Oral History of Atlantis by Ed Park

BookBrowse:

An inventive collection of sixteen surreal short stories with real emotional depth.

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The stories in Ed Park's collection An Oral History of Atlantis range from whimsical to tragic, and mundane to fantastical. Many are very funny. The book opens with "A Note to my Translator," in which an author's letter outlines his displeasure at the liberties taken with his work, such as a different opening and completely new characters. The absurdities of the details drew my first laugh. Elsewhere, some elements are exaggerated to the point of satire, such as in "The Gift," where students of a course called Advanced Aphorism are told to read "Plato, the newspaper, and [their] favorite books from childhood"—none of which is covered in class—and the professor speaks more on his subject at an end of term celebration than while actually teaching.

Despite the humor, many of the stories handle heavy emotional topics in a way that feels very authentic. "The Air is Air" highlights the distance between a veteran and his father when they meet in person for the first time in years. As they talk, the narrator is forced to reexamine his life as he explains it to "the Big Man." In "Two Laptops," a man struggles to adjust after his wife leaves him for their son's former piano teacher. Though he is fixated on her, he finds he can no longer reliably recognize either her face or his own.

This is not a collection for readers who prefer realism in fiction. "Well-Moistened with Cheap Wine, the Sailor and the Wayfarer Sing of Their Absent Sweethearts" in particular is wonderfully surreal, with a research group composed entirely of women named Tina studying an ancient script on a strange, isolated island (see Beyond the Book). As well as arguing over academics, the Tinas engage in love affairs, attempt to communicate by messenger bird, and pan for gold. This dreamlike element runs through many of the stories, to greater or lesser degrees.

While each story stands on its own, recurring characters and phrases, as well as references to fictional cultures and events, make the stories feel connected. The same woman, a spy named Miriam, narrates both "Watch Your Step" and "Seven Women"; a failed band in the latter story and the titular sci-fi movie centered in "Weird Menace" both draw inspiration from the same pulp magazines. However, these links never match up into an overarching narrative, and searching for one distracted me somewhat from the individual stories.

Park experiments with a variety of formats. "Weird Menace" is the transcript of a conversation between an actor and director as they record a commentary track to a decades-old sci-fi cult classic they don't fully remember. The first story is not the only one formatted as correspondence—"An Accurate Account" consists of a letter penned by a famous playwright in response to his nephew's request for career advice. "Slide to Unlock" walks the line between prose and poetry as it tells a story through the myriad passwords a man has used for his various digital accounts. Park's language is creative, and often beautiful:

"At night I'd float in my tub, head against the enamel. I could hear elevators plumb and launch, wind howling through the garbage chute, ghostly voices of tenants too tall to talk to. It was a direct line into hidden nerves, a blueprint's subconscious filtered right through my skull, and it sounded like nothing so much as whalesong."

An Oral History of Atlantis showcases the depths of Park's creativity and skill as a writer. The collection is full of clever humor and enchanting unreality juxtaposed with the characters' very real emotions. This contrast with the stories' fantastical elements makes the undercurrents of longing and loss all the sharper. The originality of the collection and the wit with which its ideas are executed make it truly a pleasure to read.

This review first ran in the August 13, 2025 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.