onecheesetoasty's review against another edition
1.0
TW: death and loss of every single kind
I know, I'm going to get a lot of heat for being "insensitive", or "she just doesn't get it." Child I get it, trust me. We've all dealt with pain, grief, and confusion. And I know that poetry and books about pain can help those going through it understand their feelings. Unfortunately, this book is not one of them no natter how hard it tries to be. Rowe sacrifices substance for run on sentences, absolutely no dialogue, and a dizzying amount of metaphors.
I have several issues with this book. First, the stories are written in the same voice, making it difficult to separate the stories one after another. You would think that the narrators would not have the same meter of speaking, especially seeing as every story takes place on completely different continents. I am left thinking these short stories are meant to be read under one collection, like a clothing line or poetry collection. If not, then this is a cognitive oversight-- a shortcoming. Authors and reviewers should refer to Stephen King's "If It Bleeds" for an example on voice.
This brings us to our next point: style of writing. Fans of some (notice I say SOME!) free verse poetry will be pleased to read this book. This book is what a computer program thinks a free verse book is. The ratio of actual story telling to mindless descriptive paragraphs is so one-sided I forgot what I was reading, even when some stories were as short as 7 pages.
Now to the final and most important issue: what each story is actually about. I'll tell you: Horrible things that happen in life. Each story is like the first third of a regular book or movie: you meet the characters and then something horrible happens. But unfortunately, that's where the similarities end. There is no wrap up, no resolution and don't even bother getting attached to any characters because the story will be over in 4 paragraphs (the last installment). So if you enjoy the catastrophes that set up stories the best, this book will give you 195 pages of it!
Below is the topic of each story so you can read your favorite kind of tragedy faster:
1. Child death
2. Career loss
3. Divorce
4. Cancer
5. Divorce part 2: this time they have young children
6. Miscarriage
7. Survivor's guilt: the return of death
8. Miscarriage part 2: the memorial
9. Divorce part 3: celebrity edition
10. Ice?
Perhaps the trigger warning is all that needs to be said about the contents of this book. That being said, "The Once-Drowned Man" was my favorite.
I know, I'm going to get a lot of heat for being "insensitive", or "she just doesn't get it." Child I get it, trust me. We've all dealt with pain, grief, and confusion. And I know that poetry and books about pain can help those going through it understand their feelings. Unfortunately, this book is not one of them no natter how hard it tries to be. Rowe sacrifices substance for run on sentences, absolutely no dialogue, and a dizzying amount of metaphors.
I have several issues with this book. First, the stories are written in the same voice, making it difficult to separate the stories one after another. You would think that the narrators would not have the same meter of speaking, especially seeing as every story takes place on completely different continents. I am left thinking these short stories are meant to be read under one collection, like a clothing line or poetry collection. If not, then this is a cognitive oversight-- a shortcoming. Authors and reviewers should refer to Stephen King's "If It Bleeds" for an example on voice.
This brings us to our next point: style of writing. Fans of some (notice I say SOME!) free verse poetry will be pleased to read this book. This book is what a computer program thinks a free verse book is. The ratio of actual story telling to mindless descriptive paragraphs is so one-sided I forgot what I was reading, even when some stories were as short as 7 pages.
Now to the final and most important issue: what each story is actually about. I'll tell you: Horrible things that happen in life. Each story is like the first third of a regular book or movie: you meet the characters and then something horrible happens. But unfortunately, that's where the similarities end. There is no wrap up, no resolution and don't even bother getting attached to any characters because the story will be over in 4 paragraphs (the last installment). So if you enjoy the catastrophes that set up stories the best, this book will give you 195 pages of it!
Below is the topic of each story so you can read your favorite kind of tragedy faster:
1. Child death
2. Career loss
3. Divorce
4. Cancer
5. Divorce part 2: this time they have young children
6. Miscarriage
7. Survivor's guilt: the return of death
8. Miscarriage part 2: the memorial
9. Divorce part 3: celebrity edition
10. Ice?
Perhaps the trigger warning is all that needs to be said about the contents of this book. That being said, "The Once-Drowned Man" was my favorite.
bestdressedbookworm's review against another edition
1.0
This was not for me.
Short story collections can often go 2 ways:
1 - you fall in love with the characters and you wish the story was longer because you just want more.
Or
2 - it’s overly written flowery prose that make absolutely no sense, there is no character development because it’s over written and there is no more time for character development and no one thinks the same way some authors write. You get lost and confused and start finding what you’re reading pointless, boring and cannot connect in anyway to anything that’s written on the page. And before you know it that story has ended and you’re starting that confusing journey all over again and you do this 10-12 times.
Unfortunately for me with this collection it was the ladder. I’m in a minority here with this author, I can see a lot of people found this brilliant. I feel that if you are going to only give me 6-12 pages to relate to a character, to make hearing about their story worth it, you have to work harder than this.
Short story collections can often go 2 ways:
1 - you fall in love with the characters and you wish the story was longer because you just want more.
Or
2 - it’s overly written flowery prose that make absolutely no sense, there is no character development because it’s over written and there is no more time for character development and no one thinks the same way some authors write. You get lost and confused and start finding what you’re reading pointless, boring and cannot connect in anyway to anything that’s written on the page. And before you know it that story has ended and you’re starting that confusing journey all over again and you do this 10-12 times.
Unfortunately for me with this collection it was the ladder. I’m in a minority here with this author, I can see a lot of people found this brilliant. I feel that if you are going to only give me 6-12 pages to relate to a character, to make hearing about their story worth it, you have to work harder than this.
ashrocc's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.0
noellewearscontactsbecuz's review against another edition
5.0
Original, relevant, Canada, Australia. I'm picky, and I loved this story collection. With other books, I skip around because they're not up to my phantasmic snuff (character dignity, optimistic narration with nuance, where can we find it- here), and I couldn't skip a beat in Rowe's voice. No extraneous details in it. The thing dances.
rosannajhunt's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful, memorable stories, with the kinds of endings that knock the wind out of you.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
‘It strikes me that this is what strangers do. Make offerings before stepping over the threshold of another’s house. That is what we are now.’
Ten short stories about time. About living and remembering, about recounting events. Set across the world: different locations, different people with different experiences. I read each story, take it in, imagine what came before or what might happen next. The people (and events) become real.
How does Ms Rowe do this?
‘Sinkers’ took me to the Snowy Mountains, where the drowned town of Adaminaby lies under Lake Eucumbene. And reminded me of the other drowned towns of Jindabyne and Talbingo. But it is not the landscape which held my attention in this story (familiar as it is) but the impact on people.
‘Chavez’, a longer story, took me into the world of an agoraphobic woman looking after her neighbour’s dog. It is meant to be for a short period only, but events elsewhere in the world have an impact.
Returning to the first story, ‘Glisk’, I learn that a ‘glisk’ is a Scots word meaning glance or a twinkling. And in this story, there are two events which take place in an instant and which are important in the life of Fynn, whose story is being narrated by his half-brother Raf. Lives are changed, defined, and sometimes destroyed by such moments.
People move across the world, into and out of the lives of others. Relationships and perceptions evolve. Time is not static, nor is it linear. I have mentioned three stories and perhaps they are my favourites for now. But when I reread these stories, and I know I will, my focus may shift.
‘This is not what we do. This is not how we get close to each other, by making ourselves seem defective enough to safely befriend.’
If you enjoy beautifully written self-contained short stories that invite you to think, then you may enjoy this book as much as I did.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Ten short stories about time. About living and remembering, about recounting events. Set across the world: different locations, different people with different experiences. I read each story, take it in, imagine what came before or what might happen next. The people (and events) become real.
How does Ms Rowe do this?
‘Sinkers’ took me to the Snowy Mountains, where the drowned town of Adaminaby lies under Lake Eucumbene. And reminded me of the other drowned towns of Jindabyne and Talbingo. But it is not the landscape which held my attention in this story (familiar as it is) but the impact on people.
‘Chavez’, a longer story, took me into the world of an agoraphobic woman looking after her neighbour’s dog. It is meant to be for a short period only, but events elsewhere in the world have an impact.
Returning to the first story, ‘Glisk’, I learn that a ‘glisk’ is a Scots word meaning glance or a twinkling. And in this story, there are two events which take place in an instant and which are important in the life of Fynn, whose story is being narrated by his half-brother Raf. Lives are changed, defined, and sometimes destroyed by such moments.
People move across the world, into and out of the lives of others. Relationships and perceptions evolve. Time is not static, nor is it linear. I have mentioned three stories and perhaps they are my favourites for now. But when I reread these stories, and I know I will, my focus may shift.
‘This is not what we do. This is not how we get close to each other, by making ourselves seem defective enough to safely befriend.’
If you enjoy beautifully written self-contained short stories that invite you to think, then you may enjoy this book as much as I did.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
kimswhims's review against another edition
3.0
I read this collection because it is long-listed for the 2020 Stella Prize.
Not my cup of tea at all. Short stories, for me, often don't hold enough character development and not enough of the three necessaries: A beginning, a middle and an end. This certainly applied for this collection.
The writing is good enough about these transient moments in time and any one of them would adapt well into part of a longer story. There is probably even some good metaphor here but I was so bored by the lack of plot that I couldn't be bothered investing any further into it.
All these stories ended with a whimper, not memorable at all. Apart from maybe a wildcat that crosses the ice with one of it's kittens carried in it's mouth. Metaphorical perhaps.
I hope anyone else who reads this get's a lot more from it than I did.
Rating is rounded up from a 2.5 to a three because the writing is good enough, to only just prevent me from dnfing it.
Hoping the other short story collections on the Stella long list hold more entertainment.
Not my cup of tea at all. Short stories, for me, often don't hold enough character development and not enough of the three necessaries: A beginning, a middle and an end. This certainly applied for this collection.
The writing is good enough about these transient moments in time and any one of them would adapt well into part of a longer story. There is probably even some good metaphor here but I was so bored by the lack of plot that I couldn't be bothered investing any further into it.
All these stories ended with a whimper, not memorable at all. Apart from maybe a wildcat that crosses the ice with one of it's kittens carried in it's mouth. Metaphorical perhaps.
I hope anyone else who reads this get's a lot more from it than I did.
Rating is rounded up from a 2.5 to a three because the writing is good enough, to only just prevent me from dnfing it.
Hoping the other short story collections on the Stella long list hold more entertainment.
laura_storyteller's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ashmagoffin's review against another edition
I probably wasn't smart enough to read this short story collection