A review by cstefko
What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky, by Lesley Nneka Arimah
5.0
4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this short story collection. It's the August book for Kara Brown's online book club (if you're not participating yet, you should!) and I didn't know anything about it going into it, although it was somehow already on my Goodreads TBR (aka the black hole of intentions). I'm glad the book club gave me the impetus to finally pick it up.
Several of the stories have fabulist elements, but I think the ones I appreciated the most were the more straightforward stories of family relationships. Arimah has such a knack for describing grief--both for those who have been lost and those who you're in the process of losing ("Light," perhaps my favorite story, is a great example of the latter). I also admired the way she drew female characters who were utterly complex, both good and bad, and didn't give them any easy narrative outs.
The title story is one of the more dystopian/fantastical stories; unfortunately, I found it to be a little half-baked. On the other hand, the story "Who Will Greet You At Home" has a very unique premise and was much more satisfying. The worldbuilding definitely felt more believable.
I can say that I unequivocally recommend this one, so I won't say too much else about the other stories or even share any of the quotes I loved. Better to experience it fresh. But I'm very much looking forward to the book club discussion!
I would suggest this book particularly to fans of Carmen Maria Machado and Karen Russell.
I really enjoyed this short story collection. It's the August book for Kara Brown's online book club (if you're not participating yet, you should!) and I didn't know anything about it going into it, although it was somehow already on my Goodreads TBR (aka the black hole of intentions). I'm glad the book club gave me the impetus to finally pick it up.
Several of the stories have fabulist elements, but I think the ones I appreciated the most were the more straightforward stories of family relationships. Arimah has such a knack for describing grief--both for those who have been lost and those who you're in the process of losing ("Light," perhaps my favorite story, is a great example of the latter). I also admired the way she drew female characters who were utterly complex, both good and bad, and didn't give them any easy narrative outs.
The title story is one of the more dystopian/fantastical stories; unfortunately, I found it to be a little half-baked. On the other hand, the story "Who Will Greet You At Home" has a very unique premise and was much more satisfying. The worldbuilding definitely felt more believable.
I can say that I unequivocally recommend this one, so I won't say too much else about the other stories or even share any of the quotes I loved. Better to experience it fresh. But I'm very much looking forward to the book club discussion!
I would suggest this book particularly to fans of Carmen Maria Machado and Karen Russell.