Great writer indeed! I don't know exactly why and what Carver does, wanted to share some love for him.

What I think works for me, writers paint pictures in your head. To know what words to pick and to describe, and what to leave out and let the mind fill in is an art by itself. For me Carver does this really well.

Also the short 'slice of life' stories add to this effect for me. My mind starts wondering about the parts of the stories before and after.