Rites Of Spring

A flat and surprisingly uninventive collection by young British authors, some appearing in print for the first time, some better established—though few of the names are likely to ring many bells with American readers. New writing by new writers should be more adventurous than the generally lackluster work here. And there are a couple of notable exceptions: ""The Whole Biryani,"" by Ardashir Vakil (whose novel Beach Boy was shortlisted for the Whitbread), is an exquisite and beautifully wrought dish, with a sweet flavor of ambiguity, in which a fussy, yuppie, non-Anglo Londoner gets a lesson in dignity from a waiter in an Indian restaurant. In ""Falling in Love Again,"" newcomer Shelagh Moorhouse tells the story of an old general's swoon for a young woman who has the misfortune to bear the same name as his long-deceased fiancÉe, Ailsa. She plays tennis regularly with a friend at courts near his house; they meet when he starts a doctor-ordered daily constitutional. The general makes a habit of eavesdropping on the players' post-game chats, but an unguarded conversation leads to dastardly, opportunistic revenge. ""Custody of the Anecdotes,"" by Whitbread-winner Pauline Melville, depicts a famous actor chaperoned by a bullet-headed former cop who enforces the actor's sobriety, a condition of getting partial custody of his son after a bitter divorce. As his sobriety wears on, the actor's wit and charm wear off. A few other pieces are worth reading, but most suggest that the younger London generation has yet to match the imaginative daring of Salman Rushdie, Will Self, Martin Amis, et al.
Overall, less compelling than an off issue of Granta.