halibut's review against another edition
4.0
Interlinked short stories, sharing a theme of the difficulty of knowing other people. I'm not a huge fan of short stories generally, but I think due to the continuity in narrative and theme through the collection I enjoyed this collection. The story of the mistaken guest/doppleganger at the wedding I found really compelling, capturing a real sense of uncanniness.
wik_likes_studying_and_films's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
emdreading's review
4.0
I forgot how good the International Booker longlist was in 2020. Fav stories: blind spots, the automatic tour guide, glitter.
cattytrona's review against another edition
3.0
Some nice stories in here, and it's engaging (if also a little distracting from the actual pieces themselves) to try and fit them together. Yet nothing really grabbed me - there's a sense of monotony of voice (which might be a result of the translation) which makes the collection (fall) flat.
iamfigtree's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lizzy_lisko's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
annick's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Child death
emilyacres's review against another edition
3.0
The past and future always come together in the end. Here. In the present. Listen to me: perhaps you're just in the trough between the waves. It'll come back to you; we have our tides too, you know, when everything seems to recede, when we feel as though we've lost everything.
This collection of inter-connected short stories set in the french countryside are infused with a kind of dark magic. It makes the banal realities of a repetitious rural life both menacing and mesmerizing—perhaps a bit too mesmerizing in its (intentional) repetition as I would find myself occasionally losing track of which parts I had already read.
Some of the major themes definitely contribute to its menacing, or melancholy, tone. Death haunts nearly every page. Not in excess or in a spooky way, rather this book explores death as an inevitable part of life's journey, in aging, accidents, suicides, and those left behind in death's wake.
Like all collections I found some stories more engaging than others but I loved the web they created even more. This book truly is more than the sum of its parts. Each reference to another story was like a little jolt of electricity in an otherwise flowing text.
I was compelled to pick up this book from Pereine Press as it's the first pick in their autumn Borderless Book Club. I'm very much looking forward to hearing the discussion!
caffee's review against another edition
3.0
As always with collections there are some that sing louder than others in the choir, for me the opening and closing stories stood out but some within were also worth note.