abbie_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
I picked up this collection on a whim in Oxfam Books a few months ago, I’d vaguely heard good things about Van Den Berg but wasn’t at all familiar with her work. Turned out to be a good purchase, as this was a very strong collection of short stories!
Most of them play with the idea of masks, hiding your true self, pretending to be someone else, putting on a front, and that’s the only reason I didn’t rate it higher. I was reading roughly one a day and in the end (though the last story was incredible) I wanted a little more variety in theme.
A lot of the characters in these stories are unsatisfied with their lives in some way. They’re stuck in marriages which have hit a wall, dead end jobs, cycles of poverty or misery. But Van Den Berg isn’t interested in giving them any relief from their trials - there’s a definite pessimistic tone throughout, intensified by a hefty dose of mystery/strangeness.
My favourite story was the last one, Isle of Youth, where a woman wanting to escape her dying marriage agrees to impersonate her twin sister for a few days while she embarks on an affair. But it turns out her sister’s life is darker than she imagined, and she finds herself out of her depth.
I also loved Antarctica, where a woman travels to the ends of the earth to try to come to terms with her brother’s death at a research station. Opa-Locka was another strong one, where two down-on-their-luck private investigators come up against a baffling dead end in the case they’re working.
I’d recommend this collection if you’re looking for something a little gritty, with strong characterisation (the stories are all fairly long so the character work is great) and strong, clear prose!
georgina_bawden's review against another edition
4.0
I have rounded up to four, as individual stories here range between three and four.
Some of these are brilliant. I loved Antarctica and The Great Escape in particular.
Motifs here include absent fathers and disinterested husbands, in fact generally decaying relationships with men (fathers, husbands, brothers...). Women who are looking for something, who feel bereft of freedom or happiness or satisfaction.
The stories are full of mystery and symbolism and sadness and devoid of neat answers or endings.
That is my only complaint with some of these stories - I feel like the modern short story basically doesn't have a proper ending anymore, like endings are maybe unfashionable but perhaps I'm just not *getting* the literary short story. Either way that is the only point of dissatisfaction and it is a minor point. I have one of Van Den Berg's novels here somewhere and I will bump it up the tbr list based on this book.
Some of these are brilliant. I loved Antarctica and The Great Escape in particular.
Motifs here include absent fathers and disinterested husbands, in fact generally decaying relationships with men (fathers, husbands, brothers...). Women who are looking for something, who feel bereft of freedom or happiness or satisfaction.
The stories are full of mystery and symbolism and sadness and devoid of neat answers or endings.
That is my only complaint with some of these stories - I feel like the modern short story basically doesn't have a proper ending anymore, like endings are maybe unfashionable but perhaps I'm just not *getting* the literary short story. Either way that is the only point of dissatisfaction and it is a minor point. I have one of Van Den Berg's novels here somewhere and I will bump it up the tbr list based on this book.
earlyandalone's review against another edition
5.0
I devoured this book in two days. The magic in these stories is manufactured, like the tricks of the down-on-their-luck mother-daughter magicians in "The Greatest Escape," meaning there is no magic. The women in these stories are lost and searching--wayward bank robbers, private investigators, twin impersonators. But their pain, their questions, and their losses are all too real.
welp_seeyalater's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
limdz's review against another edition
3.0
I loved her last book of stories, but some of these felt formulaic and repetitive to one another. The characters' voices seem to me to be very similar across most stories
becksus's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting read. I expected a bit more mystery, but in general I liked this. A lot of interesting beginnings, but some endings felt a bit disappointing. Perhaps reading this after having read a more intense short story series wasn't a great idea, as the stories are bit more subtle. Still good!
samantha's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those old-fashioned, gritty, good-as-shit collections of short stories about women. Up there — in language and plot — with [b:Battleborn|13163921|Battleborn|Claire Vaye Watkins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348814807s/13163921.jpg|18342979], for sure, and [b:The Dark Dark|31702762|The Dark Dark|Samantha Hunt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477579563s/31702762.jpg|52384468].
oknora's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
yeah i loooooved this. i think my favorites are “antarctica” and “opa-locka” and “acrobat.” just sort of fell in love with laura van den berg’s characterizations and how inscrutable everything in her stories is, and how matter-of-factly she describes these big dramatic things happening to people, strange emotional liminal spaces. i liked i hold a wolf by the ears but this is kind of a masterpiece of short fiction i think.