"The Shipping News", E. Annie Proulx (Fourth Estate, 1995)

Each chapter is headed by sketch and description of a knot which is later alluded to. At times, the thoughts of the main character (a journalist) are presented in a headlinesque sentence. Sudden flights of imagery ("features as bunched as kissed fingers") and detail punctuate a storyteller's narrative. The text seemed to avoid describing the moments of character change - the main character's physical and emotional awkwardness are initially highlighted but just seem to fade away unobserved by others. But where there are observers, the writing is pared and telling - though perhaps too understated during (and looking back on) crises like the main character's shipwreck.

"Accordion Crimes" by E. Annie Proulx (Fourth Estate, 1996)

A day in the life of a penny. The stories all concern immigrants (or close offspring of) who are down on their luck. There is little if any interior monolog, and extensive description is reserved mostly for the accordions that provide a flexible symbol for cultural survival.

There's no suspense on the novel scale (indeed, it's unclear whether the linked stories justify being called a novel) but on a number of occasions we learn that something has happened (accordions stolen, arms sliced off), the details being conveyed to us a few pages later.

I liked the style - the dialog sounded authentic to me, the infrequent flights of lyricism successful, the telling phrases and word choices frequent.