Uncommon Type: Some Stories

Tom Hanks collects typewriters. Here, in his fiction debut, he uses them as a linking thread in his short stories; occasionally, the device feels a little shoe-horned in but most of the time it works very well. Hanks can probably afford a castle to house his vast collection of typewriters yet to me it’s clear that the financial rewards of his success have not lifted his feet from the ground by even an inch. Many of the stories are about ordinary people in ordinary situations doing ordinary everyday things. And even in the more ‘out there’ stories, the emotions of his characters are recognisably real. Hanks’s genuine warmth, empathy and down-to-earth decency shine through – these surely are the very qualities that contribute so much to his acting ability.At first, it’s hard to shake off Hanks’s distinctive voice. But it’s not long before the author’s grasp of character takes over and one finds oneself immersed, tuning out Tom in favour of the voice in the story: A divorcee who moves to a quiet neighbourhood and fears she will be pestered by the guy next door. The ten-year old boy who goes to visit his estranged mother for a special birthday treat. The columnist of a local paper who feels compelled to big up his small town (one gets the feeling that in another life, Hanks might have enjoyed being a journo). There are sci-fi stories too, like a time-travel take on Cinder(f)ella which is very well-told even though the outcome is predictable.In fact, Hanks doesn’t once go for the smartypants, sting-in-the-tale short story payoff and, in my view, this is A Good Thing. The last story ‘Steve Wong Is Perfect’ was my favourite: a strike! All in all, a convincing and enjoyable debut – if a little vanilla. Give it a shot.

When you come up through the writing world, you have to write short stories and enter them into competitions. Unfortunately, the current trend is that the darkly twisted, weird and grotesque ones, are more likely to win. So, for me, this was a refreshing take on the short story, with amusing and deeply touching vignettes, each one about love. An extra dimension was that I could hear Hanks' voice in every sentence as we are so familiar with his acting career. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Uncommon Type". The title of the book is interesting too, as there are moments of revelation that we may not have thought about, when we are an average, ordinary person. In fact, there is nothing average about it, as we are all unique, uniquely placed in our time and culture. I get that Hanks, and thanks, what a great book.

I bought the book of Tom Hank's short stories after listening to him reading the little jems on CD. I have enjoyed hearing and reading them so much. The stories often reflect on family life, romance, the impact of war and the complexity of human existence. My favourite involves time travel and even though as a reader you know where the tale will most likely end, you still feel surprised by how it turns out.Tom collects typewriters in real life and each story contains a reference to a machine in some way. Read this book. You will not regret it.

I bought this book with no great expectations but some curiosity as to how an actor would make out as a writer. Rich praise on the cover. Humph, I thought, most likely famous people being nice to a famous friend. I started reading. Not bad, I thought after the first couple of stories, I might actually finish this book. Then: Hmm, this is pretty good. Later: Difficult to believe that Tom Hanks is such a good writer, too!I found myself savouring these stories like his famous box of chocolates. Each one engrosses you in a totally different scenario, and each time the language and the dialogue are pitch-perfect. For those of us who knew the US in the seventies it triggers happy memories of a lifestyle and a country that seem far simpler and happier, and indeed much more removed in time than a mere 40 years or so. It’s not only typewriters that link these well-crafted tales; it is Mr Hank’s fundamentally positive outlook on life, his whimsical humour and his hugely entertaining imagination.This is a book to make you happy. Buy it hardback – you might well wish to read it again.

3.5 These short stories are just that 'Uncommon'. Hanks does well empathising with human nature (eg. Christmas Eve), but as others have stated in their reviews his first attempt at writing is not the most appealing. The prose is often disjointed, often very obviously linked to his cinematic background, often feeling like a roller-coaster as one reads a story... An eclectic mix that for me just didn't hold together, despite generally good writing skills and some really good humour - but both attributes don't necessarily make most of the stories a great read or memorable.Should Tom Hanks turn his hand to another anthology, I will certainly give him another chance, hoping that in the meanwhile his skills have sharpened and 'matured'.