Book Review: Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks

Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks
Publisher: Knopf
Publication Date: October 17, 2017
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:

A small-town newspaper columnist with old-fashioned views of the modern world. A World War II veteran grappling with his emotional and physical scars. A second-rate actor plunged into sudden stardom and a whirlwind press junket. Four friends traveling to the moon in a rocketship built in the backyard. These are just some of the stories that Tom Hanks captures in his first work of fiction: a collection of shorts that explore—with great affection, humor, and insight—the human condition in all its foibles. The stories are linked by one thing: in each of them, a typewriter plays a part, sometimes minor, sometimes central.

To many, typewriters represent a level of craftsmanship, beauty, and individuality that is harder and harder to find in the modern world. In these stories, Hanks gracefully reaches that typewriter-worthy level. By turns whimsical, witty, and moving, Uncommon Type establishes him as a welcome and wonderful new voice in contemporary fiction.

I’m not the biggest fan of short stories so I don’t read many short story collections. And short story collections can be hard to review because they are so often all over the place. This is the case with Uncommon Type, written by Tom Hanks. Yes, that Tom Hanks. Some of his stories were intriguing, like The Past is Important to Us, about a man who keeps traveling in time back to the 1939 World’s Fair. Some were simplistic and a little dull. I especially enjoyed A Junket in the City of Light. It’s about an actor on a press junket for a movie and I felt like I was getting some inside scoop on how press junkets work. If anyone would know, it’s Tom Hanks!

Hanks writes what he knows. He’s known for being a WWII buff and also for loving space. There are war and space stories. He also collects vintage typewriters and he’s incorporated a typewriter into every story. In some stories, they are mentioned briefly and in some, they are center stage. It’s a cute gimmick but not necessary by any means. I think that fans of Tom Hank’s will enjoy Uncommon Type. It’s a solid offering for a first-time author.