abirabishaw's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
tjmitrovic's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
more violent and creepy than I expected, especially in the first few stories. took a bit for me to get into the world of the pump, but when I got there, I was in. creating a whole world through interconnected stories was very cool, I enjoyed trying to piece together all the connections in each story.
also has a greenbelt jump-scare, how timely
also has a greenbelt jump-scare, how timely
lostcupofstars's review
3.0
The way the first sentence of the first story was written almost made me drop this. I still can’t make sense of it. Glad I kept reading though because there are some really good stories in here.
Some of them I really didn’t get and idk if that’s just a me thing or what. I found that some of the stories I was desperate to finish to get to something else. Overall I thought it was a decent collection. I certainly won’t be looking at beavers the same way ever again.
Some of them I really didn’t get and idk if that’s just a me thing or what. I found that some of the stories I was desperate to finish to get to something else. Overall I thought it was a decent collection. I certainly won’t be looking at beavers the same way ever again.
mistercrow's review
5.0
Absolutely amazing collection of short stories surrounding a small fictitious Ontario town.
(This is why I love local, independently published books!)
(This is why I love local, independently published books!)
mjs20's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
obliviously's review
- spooky short stories about the town i went to high school in? yeah i’ll be there
cottuscognatus's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
nstew16's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
shawcrit's review
4.0
I've never been more terrified of beavers and I will never look at them the same after this.
Many of these stories - which feature different people living in the same town, some more interconnected than others - straddle the line between realism and weird fiction. Some are more straight up weird than others and some are more straightforward depressing tales about living in a shitty place and having few options. My favourite of the stories are ones that leaned strongly into the weird. The weirdness here is less cosmic Lovecraftian in tone and more "unsettling things beneath the surface of the ordinary" kind of weird, so it sneaks up on you. There are some incredible images and passages but some of the stories did not fully cohere for me.
Many of these stories - which feature different people living in the same town, some more interconnected than others - straddle the line between realism and weird fiction. Some are more straight up weird than others and some are more straightforward depressing tales about living in a shitty place and having few options. My favourite of the stories are ones that leaned strongly into the weird. The weirdness here is less cosmic Lovecraftian in tone and more "unsettling things beneath the surface of the ordinary" kind of weird, so it sneaks up on you. There are some incredible images and passages but some of the stories did not fully cohere for me.