Uncommon Type

Tom Hanks released a collection of typewriter-themed short stories last year. No, this is not a joke. While actors trying their hand at fiction is nothing new (see James Franco), the results are often unbearably self-indulgent (see James Franco). Hanks, fortunately, shows enough poise and restraint to avoid embarrassing himself, and Uncommon Type is a respectable, if very uneven, debut.

In many ways, this book mirrors its author’s acting career. Hanks got his start as a comedic actor who later shined in prestigious dramas and has since done everything from voicework to inane high-budget thrillers. So too it goes with Uncommon Type where romantic comedies (“Three Exhausting Weeks”) mingle with harrowing war dramas (“Christmas Eve 1953”) and hard-luck immigrant tales (“Go See Costas”). Each story includes a typewriter (some more prominently than others), and several characters reappear throughout. There is also a recurring interlude, “Our Town Today with Hank Fiset” that offers a veteran newspaperman’s broadsides against modernity. It makes for breezy local color, but it’s also clearly filler. And while Hanks’s range is impressive, the collection’s lack of focus will frustrate those who found a favorite and wished for more in that vein.

This dilettantish quality, coupled with prose that rarely dazzles, is a letdown, but Hanks compensates with a strong command of tone. He is able to evoke nostalgia for old-fashioned Rockwellian Americana while also maintaining a sly, gently satiric edge. Should you opt for the audiobook, the author’s narration is an added perk.

Uncommon Type is unlikely to inspire in readers the same love of old typewriters that Hanks has, and the actor should definitely not quit his day job. However, the collection is surprisingly readable with enough bright spots to offset the parts you wish you skipped.

7.5/10