Through the thirty-six diverse writing efforts of A Good Day and Other Mostly Humorous Stories and Lists, Radu Guiasu masterfully combines wit, whimsy, satire, and personal contemplation.
These vignettes cover a wide range of topics, styles, and techniques. While they often seem to be typical “slice-of-life” moments, Guiasu clearly has a knack for finding humor in even the most absurd situations.
As a native Romanian now residing and teaching in Canada, Guiasu writes from his own knowledge and experience. He often broaches serious and meaningful topics, such as the world of academia, growing up under a dictatorship, and a love of nature.
The book’s title story, written while the author was a graduate student, follows a central character who cheerfully muses on fellow graduates not pursuing careers connected to their degree. Choosing not to sell out, he furthers his education and teaches high school to troubled students rather than drive a cab. Ultimately, he loses both his job and his girlfriend, thus deciding to celebrate his newfound freedom by writing about it.
In “My Mao Experience”, a 7th grade class is chosen to offer expressions of grief when Chairman Mao dies, as part of the national day of mourning in Romania.
“The Day The Bear Came” focuses on two friends who are forced to overcome their differences when a wild carnivore confronts them on a camping trip.
Guiasu incorporates a variety of writing forms into this anthology—from short story prose and primary dialogue pieces to creative rejection letters, invented submission guidelines, and thoughtful lists.
After reading Guiasu’s work, and in particular his “lists”, readers will undoubtedly come away wondering why this quick-witted writer doesn’t consider a second career as a stand-up comedian. It’s easy to picture him on stage in front of a live audience extolling the virtues of “Life Lessons You Probably Won’t Find in Self-Help Books”; “Reasons for Giving an Amazon Book a Poor Review”; or “Clues That a Lion Tamer Job Is Not For You.”
Guiasu’s underlying style is clear and concise. The stories do not need to be read in any particular order, and a shared thread of humor and satiric sentiment unites their many distinct ideas.
A bevy of interesting characters fill this collection, including a young writer who is told by an elderly gentleman that he needs more life experiences before he can write; a masters student who works in the basement of a museum; a man quarantined until a SWAT team can capture the rabid squirrel that attacked a German Shepherd; and an individual trying to figure out which neighbor turned him in for leaving his home more than one day during the COVID pandemic.
This compilation clearly demonstrates Guiasu’s remarkable talent and lighthearted, clever tongue.
He turns simple observations into relatable tales using humor, irony, and exaggeration—simultaneously exposing flaws in modern society. An artful display of storytelling that will engage even the most stoic reader until they can’t resist a smile.
