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Book Review: I Never Knew How Old I Was

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March 1

I Never Knew How Old I Was

by David Joseph

Genre: Literary Fiction / Short Fiction

ISBN: 9781735919164

Print Length: 238 pages

Reviewed by J.B. Leddington

I Never Knew How Old I Was, David Joseph's third short story collection, is centered on the concepts of age and time and the relationships that exist among the two. As Joseph explains in his Author's Note at the start of the collection, while we are conditioned to view age based solely on the passage of time, "age is more complicated than that. Age of our bodies. Age of our minds. Age of our hearts. Age of our souls. Surely, these things don't all age at the same rate. Surely, they don't merely age according to time. In fact, in many ways, they are impervious to time."

This multifaceted perspective on age and aging, as well as the link or absence thereof with time, is evident throughout the 16 stories that comprise the collection, as is Joseph's stated belief in having aged faster than he might have expected: "What I can tell you is that I've felt old for a long time now, a very long time, since I was relatively young in years. I've felt worn, though I won't be so bold as to say wise." This subjective approach, coupled with the use of first-person narratives in all the stories, renders the whole collection deeply personal and immediate.

In the title story, "I Never Knew How Old I Was," which actually closes the collection, a man and woman meet in a New York bar and begin the complex, if brief, process of getting to know each other while engaging in considerable obfuscation as a self-preservation measure. "That was one of the things I liked about New York. You could be funny or regular, exciting or boring, flamboyant or dull anywhere you went. It took all kinds here, and all kinds were welcome, at least welcome to try." As they talk, the line between reality and fantasy increasingly blurs, as does the humor of their situation.