Clearly you need therapy.

Ha! Most likely.

No, I think you are picking up on some things, Katya.

Well, there’s definitely a cynical edge to the satire, regardless of any personal baggage I may bring to the reading. But I think I just found all of the awkward situations sad, rather than funny, in a way I don’t find, say, Robert Kirby’s columns sad, even though he’s poking fun at Mormon culture, as well.

Maybe I find those things funnier because I see them as cultural elements that have fallen out of the Church–they don’t happen as much now so we can all look back and laugh.

Yesterday, a friend reminded me that I have a habit of picking the most depressing interpretation of something, so maybe that’s why the stories in this book hit me the wrong way.

Although Peterson’s been associated with Dialogue for a long time, he only edited it during this decade.

As for the similarities between Peterson’s and Chandler’s stories, I did a quick check at the ML&CA database and didn’t find any info. From what I remember (anyone can correct me here) Peterson was writing before Chandler. . .I think Peterson served as editor at Dialogue well before Chandler did.

I was struck by the similarities in the stories: Both portrayed the third Nephite (if that’s who he really was) as a scruffy, roguish character who kept you guessing throughout the story. I wondered if Chandler was inspired or influenced by Peterson’s story, which was published first.