litletters's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the titular story being read by Claire Danes during an episode of On Being. I can’t speak for the rest of the stories in the collection, but this one was a game changer. It’s discovery is a demarcation point, now. Before/after.
I know that could sound eye-rollingly dramatic but hear me out. There is a lot of satirizing the art scene with Barbies being the material of choice (my favorite Instagram account is Barbie Savior, so I am the target audience). There is a foxy missionary man who is so joyful he can’t even fake discontent. And then, there’s our narrator’s musing on the goodness of God, which, as a human rights worker in a “third world country” myself, was the perfect verbalisation of what I’ve been slowly realizing over the years.
You must be thiiiiiiiiiiiis happy to enter. Or at least, want to be, by the time you finish reading.
I know that could sound eye-rollingly dramatic but hear me out. There is a lot of satirizing the art scene with Barbies being the material of choice (my favorite Instagram account is Barbie Savior, so I am the target audience). There is a foxy missionary man who is so joyful he can’t even fake discontent. And then, there’s our narrator’s musing on the goodness of God, which, as a human rights worker in a “third world country” myself, was the perfect verbalisation of what I’ve been slowly realizing over the years.
You must be thiiiiiiiiiiiis happy to enter. Or at least, want to be, by the time you finish reading.
kasiabrenna's review against another edition
5.0
This was so good. Hilarious and demented and sweet.
mrsthrift's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up so I'd have some short stories to round out my 2008 reading list. It is adorable and dear in that This American Life sort of way (from WBEZ Chicago) and annoying and irrelevant in the same sort of way. There are moments I laughed & cheered - stories that overuse exclamation points, a woman turned into a zombie at the Jo-Anns Fabric Store, many reality tv show and internet references - including Livejournal's prominent role in one story. There were some drippy, dull, extra-earnest moments that I cringed.
This is the kind of book that proves that it is easier to write about misery, sorry, malaise, dread, and general unhappiness than to attempt narratives from optimists and happy people. The contentedness of happy people is such a singular, isolated experience that it seems contrived to form it into a short story.
I think the book is front-loaded with some of the better stories, but many collections like this are. Overall, the collection is a little cutesy, but not painfully so. And the final mark of my impression -- I mentioned some of these stories in conversation several times, which can be tough with unknown collections of short stories. It's not my fault I liked the most sci-fi story best (Clearview).
This is the kind of book that proves that it is easier to write about misery, sorry, malaise, dread, and general unhappiness than to attempt narratives from optimists and happy people. The contentedness of happy people is such a singular, isolated experience that it seems contrived to form it into a short story.
I think the book is front-loaded with some of the better stories, but many collections like this are. Overall, the collection is a little cutesy, but not painfully so. And the final mark of my impression -- I mentioned some of these stories in conversation several times, which can be tough with unknown collections of short stories. It's not my fault I liked the most sci-fi story best (Clearview).
mizclaff's review against another edition
4.0
I've been a huge fan of Elizabeth Crane since When the Messenger is Hot. I appreciate the experimentation she does with the short story form -- it's like reading good performance art. It's exhilarating, weird, and daring, and above all, relentlessly contemporary.
This collection's best stories experiment with the completely mythical and the completely mundane (e.g., zombies and reality TV). Throughout, Crane has a devastatingly keen ear for modern language in all its hipster-ironic disposability. Bonus points to this volume because:
1) it contains one of the funniest two-word sentences I've ever read. (Hint: it has to do with potato chips.)
2) the last story made me weep openly on the subway.
This collection's best stories experiment with the completely mythical and the completely mundane (e.g., zombies and reality TV). Throughout, Crane has a devastatingly keen ear for modern language in all its hipster-ironic disposability. Bonus points to this volume because:
1) it contains one of the funniest two-word sentences I've ever read. (Hint: it has to do with potato chips.)
2) the last story made me weep openly on the subway.
missnicelady's review against another edition
3.0
Clever little stories about relationships, consumerism, celebrity, and zombie crafts. Some of the stories read more like exercises in following an idea to its most logical yet absurd conclusion (such as selecting items for your banishment to a desert island) than actual narratives. And one story is about a baby that suddenly turns into Ethan Hawke but is still enough of a baby to need his diapers changed (I suspect this is probably true). If you thought Girl in the Flammable Skirt needed an anti-corporate edge, or if you think Kelly Link could be a little cheerier, this is the book for you.
jasminenoack's review against another edition
5.0
This book is the Anti-The Littlest Hitler. It is full of absurdly happy people telling extremely weird stories, and pretending that they are happy stories. In fact the main difference between the two books occurs in pretense. Is the person pretending to be a good happy person or are they a miserable person who isn't paying any particular amount of attention.
I fell in love with this book within the first page. It was like Liz Prince. Love at first sight. Not to mention the doll on the cover.
I fell in love with this book within the first page. It was like Liz Prince. Love at first sight. Not to mention the doll on the cover.
glitterandtwang's review against another edition
4.0
Elizabeth Crane is hilarious. She has an astonishing ability to grab an absurd concept and stretch it into the perfect amount of story -- Betty the Zombie and Promise are two of the best stories I've read this year.
mcipher's review against another edition
5.0
I am not usually a short story girl, but this book is amazing. I've laughed out loud at pretty much every story so far. Some of them are just plain weird, some are poignant, but they've all got this... someething to them that makes them freaking amazing. Go read it now!
melanie_page's review
5.0
I once heard on the radio that a band (can't remember which) were doing poorly because the lead singer was happy. I believe he was dating someone. Are all artists miserable? In world where sad things are sad, and I often feel sad myself, not knowing what to do about it, Crane's collection made me really happy. Each story is different, and I never knew what was going to come next. The theme of happiness really made the collection coherent.