Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories

Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories compiles thirty-one works from Tobias Wolff's four-decade career as a short story writer. The collection presents twenty-one previously published pieces alongside ten new stories, providing a comprehensive view of Wolff's evolution as an author. The stories take place across diverse settings - from military bases to prep schools, suburban homes to hunting camps. Characters face pivotal moments that challenge their understanding of themselves and others, often discovering uncomfortable truths about human nature. Many of the narratives center on father-son relationships, class tensions, and the gap between self-image and reality. Wolff's precise prose style and careful attention to psychological detail create stories that explore moral complexity and the moments that shape identity.

Readers comment on Wolff's precise, economical writing style and his ability to create memorable characters in just a few pages. The collection receives praise for its mix of both new stories and selections from previous works, giving a complete view of Wolff's short fiction. Readers appreciate: - Clear, straightforward prose with impact - Stories that examine moral choices and human nature - Authentic dialogue and character interactions - Military and boarding school settings that draw from Wolff's experiences Common criticisms: - Some stories feel too similar in tone and theme - Collection's pacing feels uneven - Newer stories don't match strength of earlier work Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (90+ ratings) One reader noted: "Each story feels like eavesdropping on a crucial moment in someone's life." Another wrote: "The prose is clean but the endings sometimes feel abrupt and unsatisfying."

The Collected Stories by John Cheever These mid-century stories of suburban American life illuminate the hidden struggles and private moments of characters with the same precise, unflinching observations found in Wolff's work.

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien The connected war stories blend fact with fiction and memory with imagination in ways that mirror Wolff's approach to writing about his own military experiences.

Birds of America by Lorrie Moore These stories capture the complexities of relationships and human frailty through characters who, like Wolff's, face moments of self-realization and moral uncertainty.

Where I'm Calling From by Raymond Carver The minimalist style and focus on working-class characters wrestling with personal demons create the same sense of quiet tension present in Wolff's narratives.

The Nick Adams Stories by Ernest Hemingway This collection follows a single character through interconnected stories that trace his development from youth to maturity, sharing themes of masculinity and personal growth with Wolff's work.

★ Tobias Wolff served in the U.S. Army Special Forces during the Vietnam War, which deeply influenced many of his military-themed stories in the collection. ★ The author's memoir "This Boy's Life" was adapted into a 1993 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, helping establish Wolff's prominence in American literature. ★ Several stories in the collection first appeared in prestigious publications like The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Harper's, with "Bullet in the Brain" becoming one of his most anthologized works. ★ Wolff has taught creative writing at Syracuse University and Stanford University, where he mentored notable authors including George Saunders and Alice Sebold. ★ The book received the Story Prize, one of the most significant awards for short fiction collections, and solidified Wolff's reputation as a master of the short story form.