SOURCE: Caldwell, Gail. “The Delicate Wisdom of Ethan Canin.” The Boston Globe (27 February 1994): A14.

In the following mixed review of The Palace Thief, Caldwell argues that the only real weakness in the volume “is a lack of range, rather than depth; each of these stories stands tall alone, but a familiarity seeps in by the end of the collection that tugs at the hem—it's as though you've watched an exquisite performance, the same exquisite performance, done again and again.”

One of the litmus tests for a writer of substance is that, once summoned, the name evokes a certain literary memory: Fitzgerald with his lonely, high-priced wisdom, say, or Flaubert with his heartsore heart. With new writers, this tendency of association becomes less distinct or profound, for one has images instead of time to draw upon. But what I remember when I remember Ethan Canin is the closing...