Tom Hanks: Uncommon Type, 9781785151521, Trade paperback, Heinemann (Penguin Random House UK)

Tom Hanks is one of the most likeable and successful Hollywood actors and known to be an avid reader.  He has now tried his hand at writing and has chosen one of the most difficult categories, the short story.

I really looked forward to checking out how he had fared and my verdict after reading the books is he can most definitely write and tell a story. But let’s put it this way; he did not knock me of my socks, his stories are solid, entertaining and moving.  Bestseller author Ann Patchett gave him a flaming review.

 

All his short stories center on old typewriters and I am not quite sure why he chose to do that as I could not find it adding anything to the stories.  The stories vary in subject and mood. One of my favorites is that of a second rate actor who is plunged into fame all of a sudden which portraits the craziness of the film industry just as you might imagine. I am sure real life experiences flowed into this.  A surfer teenager discovering his father’s secret is a sweet, melancholical story as is that of a woman adjusting to her new neighbors after a divorce and move. 

All the characters are well observed, his stories are easy, entertaining reading.