ukhatiwara's review against another edition
4.0
Nick Hornby may have oversold this book a little bit in his review (collected in [b:The Polysyllabic Spree|4260|The Polysyllabic Spree|Nick Hornby|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327723619s/4260.jpg|2961810]; this edition also prominently features a quote from that review on the front jacket), but this is nevertheless a pretty tight collection of stories by Chris Coake.
While it starts and ends strong, it does slump a little in the middle. However, any fiction exploring the darker recesses of the human mind is always welcome, and this is a very well-written sample of it. At its best, it can make you cry, and even at its worst it never gets uninteresting.
While it starts and ends strong, it does slump a little in the middle. However, any fiction exploring the darker recesses of the human mind is always welcome, and this is a very well-written sample of it. At its best, it can make you cry, and even at its worst it never gets uninteresting.
michaelstearns's review
4.0
Seven wonderfully wrought sad tales about people completely fucking up their lives. Hard stories to bear, and hard to read several in a row, but this writer is the real thing. The story “Abandon,” about nearly freezing to death, is a great one, as is the backward-told “All Around the House.” Also the title story, a triptych, is heartbreaking. They’re all great. A writer to watch.
rachelkc's review against another edition
3.0
We're In Trouble by Christopher Coake was somber, moving, and more than once brought tears to my eyes.
All of the stories in this collection have to do with loss and love and what people will do when faced with the death of a loved one. While this theme unites them all, the individual stories are worlds apart. From a married couple's actions and reactions to the husband's terminal cancer, to a father and son taking a road trip, as told by both of them plus an outside observer, to a small town sheriff dealing with the consequences of his friend's murder-suicide, all the stories in this collection tug deep down and play with a myriad of emotions.
I related to some of the stories, and the relationships therein, while others left me wondering how the characters did what they did--what they had to do--to be true to themselves and their loved ones. For a book that will transport you to other places and times, to mountain peaks and abandoned cabins in the woods, to love lost and love strengthened, look no further than We're In Trouble.
All of the stories in this collection have to do with loss and love and what people will do when faced with the death of a loved one. While this theme unites them all, the individual stories are worlds apart. From a married couple's actions and reactions to the husband's terminal cancer, to a father and son taking a road trip, as told by both of them plus an outside observer, to a small town sheriff dealing with the consequences of his friend's murder-suicide, all the stories in this collection tug deep down and play with a myriad of emotions.
I related to some of the stories, and the relationships therein, while others left me wondering how the characters did what they did--what they had to do--to be true to themselves and their loved ones. For a book that will transport you to other places and times, to mountain peaks and abandoned cabins in the woods, to love lost and love strengthened, look no further than We're In Trouble.
pagesofkelsey's review
3.0
Some stories better than others; some stories couldn't hold my interest and some had me on the edge of my seat. Just a mixed bag for me on this one.
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