soinavoice's review against another edition
4.0
Three and a half stars, rounding up to support a new author.
These stories are deeply weird, which is great, but tend unfortunately towards the samey in their weirdness. Of the eight longer stories (there are eleven stories total, but three of them are only a page or two in length), five center around the surreally squalid domestic life of women living on the fringe of a spatially and temporally indeterminate society, and those women's relationship issues with bizarre and unsatisfactory men. The voice didn't vary much between these stories, and they all kind of flowed together. They're also preoccupied with gender roles in a way that often feels bizarrely outdated. The stories as a whole are very interested in social difference based on sex, class, physical appearance, and education, but contain not even a nod to difference based on sexuality, race/ethnicity, or religion. I'm not saying that every writer *needs* to talk about ethnicity and sexuality, but that in this particular case, the complete and utter absence felt somehow... conspicuous.
On the whole though, the stories were enjoyably surreal and unsettling, and there were a few ("Waxy," "Agata's Machine," and "Notes from a Spider") that REALLY stood out.
Other reviewers have compared Camilla Grudova to Angela Carter, Franz Kafka, and Margaret Atwood, which I'd say is pretty accurate--perhaps a little too much so (not that the stories are derivative, but there's a strong enough feel of these authors that some of the weaker stories seemed to invite a not particularly flattering comparison). I'd be more inclined to call this collection "promising" than "accomplished," but there is both talent and substance enough here to make it worth the read, especially if you're a fan of any of the above authors. I'm interested to see what Camilla Grudova comes out with next--definitely putting her on my "authors to watch" list.
These stories are deeply weird, which is great, but tend unfortunately towards the samey in their weirdness. Of the eight longer stories (there are eleven stories total, but three of them are only a page or two in length), five center around the surreally squalid domestic life of women living on the fringe of a spatially and temporally indeterminate society, and those women's relationship issues with bizarre and unsatisfactory men. The voice didn't vary much between these stories, and they all kind of flowed together. They're also preoccupied with gender roles in a way that often feels bizarrely outdated. The stories as a whole are very interested in social difference based on sex, class, physical appearance, and education, but contain not even a nod to difference based on sexuality, race/ethnicity, or religion. I'm not saying that every writer *needs* to talk about ethnicity and sexuality, but that in this particular case, the complete and utter absence felt somehow... conspicuous.
On the whole though, the stories were enjoyably surreal and unsettling, and there were a few ("Waxy," "Agata's Machine," and "Notes from a Spider") that REALLY stood out.
Other reviewers have compared Camilla Grudova to Angela Carter, Franz Kafka, and Margaret Atwood, which I'd say is pretty accurate--perhaps a little too much so (not that the stories are derivative, but there's a strong enough feel of these authors that some of the weaker stories seemed to invite a not particularly flattering comparison). I'd be more inclined to call this collection "promising" than "accomplished," but there is both talent and substance enough here to make it worth the read, especially if you're a fan of any of the above authors. I'm interested to see what Camilla Grudova comes out with next--definitely putting her on my "authors to watch" list.
rosie_24601's review against another edition
dark
reflective
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? N/A
4.5
sanmeow's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.0
lots of different elements here, which is expected of a short story collection. many stories were feminist and discussed the oppression of women, which was insightful. many were just weird (in a good way) and entertained me. i liked the writing style, it's very descriptive and sometimes dreamy, fitting for surrealist literature. the descriptiveness was probably my favorite part of the whole collection - i could clearly see and imagine everything the author was talking about. sometimes i felt like the author went too far with the bizarre elements, as if they served no purpose other than to shock you or weird you out. but that's alright just because it wasn't overwhelming, only occurred in a few stories. personal favorite was definitely agata's machine.
falchionm's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
rinny11's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? N/A
5.0
ghostsmut's review against another edition
2.0
Did not vibe with me at all. I can’t remember a single story from it.
shellbatronic's review against another edition
5.0
An engrossing collection of short stories that defies easy description. Bizarre? Disturbing? Vaguely dystopic? Creepily nostalgic? Somehow, yes. Tiny windows into worlds I could have read much more about. Hours, days after finishing a story I would find my mind drifting back.