A review by paulineisreading
Ordinary Matter by Laura Elvery
3.0
Ordinary Matter is a collection of 20 short stories that draws inspiration from female Nobel Prize winners and their works within the Science field. The first story opened up with Marie Curie, the 1903 winner all the way to the last story which closed with Frances Arnold, the 2018 winner. Some stories are based solely on these women and their lives however the majority are very loosely connected to an element or two, involving completely different fictional characters.
The premise of the book is certainly original and interesting. A number of the stories look at the simpler, everyday events that are close to reality while others are more inventive and told from really unique perspectives. The notable highlights for me are those that are more contemporary - namely ‘Witnessing’ and ‘Something Close to Gold’. There’s no doubt that Elvery’s writing is beautiful. She’s one of those writers that have a quiet way in telling a story that would really draw you in.
I did, however, struggle to wrap my head around the timelines of some of the stories and it felt a bit jumpy at times. I found it difficult to keep up with which period the stories are set in as they didn’t match with the prize winning year, and whether the stories are set in the present, past or future. I think i would’ve found it helpful if the timeline was laid out clearer in each story - but that could just be me though, i haven’t heard the same comment from any other reviewers!
Though this one wasn’t my favourite collection, it’s still well worth adding to your list - especially if you’re a fan of short stories.
The premise of the book is certainly original and interesting. A number of the stories look at the simpler, everyday events that are close to reality while others are more inventive and told from really unique perspectives. The notable highlights for me are those that are more contemporary - namely ‘Witnessing’ and ‘Something Close to Gold’. There’s no doubt that Elvery’s writing is beautiful. She’s one of those writers that have a quiet way in telling a story that would really draw you in.
I did, however, struggle to wrap my head around the timelines of some of the stories and it felt a bit jumpy at times. I found it difficult to keep up with which period the stories are set in as they didn’t match with the prize winning year, and whether the stories are set in the present, past or future. I think i would’ve found it helpful if the timeline was laid out clearer in each story - but that could just be me though, i haven’t heard the same comment from any other reviewers!
Though this one wasn’t my favourite collection, it’s still well worth adding to your list - especially if you’re a fan of short stories.