Reviews

This was an interesting collection, though not a favorite among those I've read recently. It was helpful for my own writing to know that stylistically, not all stories have to be similar to belong in a collection together. There was nice variety here.

The title story, "Alligator" was unique in its experimental nature. It was cool to see how Alzayat pieced together so many different sources and forms to tell this story. At times it seemed like there was too much going on, but I thought it all wove together in a thought provoking manner.

Liked some stories more than others, for sure. "Summer of the Shark" may have been a surprise favorite, Sorry to Bother You vibes with a 9/11 twist at the end.

Strong writing overall, a good reminder that a short story doesn't have to be all about plot or growth or change to be effective or engaging.

scottt's review against another edition

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challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

inesgp's review against another edition

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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

4.0

dianna_reads's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

seebrandyread's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

Originally born in Syria then growing up in the US, Dima Alzayat pulls from her own identities as a Syrian immigrant woman to give us stories in Alligator that explore one or several of these identifiers in both the past and present. She focuses especially on time, history, and the connection between generations to ask questions of inheritance and familial myths and constructs and what change looks like if it’s happening at all. Her stories dig into loss through death or distance. Characters mourn a lack of physical presence, but more importantly they mourn the loss of narrative, the stories that get cut short or are never told, stories that might help those left behind understand their own selves better. Wrapped up in these stories is memory. Sometimes stories are all we have to pass down because they can’t be taken away, lost, or destroyed like a photo or house or keepsake can be. Several of Alzayat’s stories play with form and perspective in ways that are sometimes subtle, sometimes bold. “Alligator” does both by alternating between different characters’ accounts that appear as plain, normal text, social media posts, correspondence, and various historical records, usually newspaper clippings or court transcripts, some of which are real. This collection does the two most important things in fiction: it tells interesting stories and tells them in interesting ways, ways that challenge the reader and story itself. Alzayat finds the human whether she’s writing about 9/11 or #MeToo, and the honest and human will always outlast time.

sophiavass's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

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