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A review by 10000bees
Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Beautiful prose, impactful themes, and imaginative stories all in one tight collection. This was one of my most anticipated releases for the year and it absolutely did not disappoint. While I did have favorite stories, there wasn't a single miss. I would describe them as more surreal literary fiction than horror, though there was an underlying darkness.
What really made this stand out for me as a collection are the breaks between the chapters where the titular Devil usually makes his appearances. These were the perfect glue to bring it all together as a cohesive collection. The writer featured in these breaks writes the short stories we read, making the experience feel rather meta. I can't help but think the cover for this book is absolutely perfect because it's stories within stories all the way down.
My favorites of the collection were Rapture, Tropicalia, Antropofago, Idle Hands, and Hasselblad: Triptych.
What really made this stand out for me as a collection are the breaks between the chapters where the titular Devil usually makes his appearances. These were the perfect glue to bring it all together as a cohesive collection. The writer featured in these breaks writes the short stories we read, making the experience feel rather meta. I can't help but think the cover for this book is absolutely perfect because it's stories within stories all the way down.
My favorites of the collection were Rapture, Tropicalia, Antropofago, Idle Hands, and Hasselblad: Triptych.