Scan barcode
noellewearscontactsbecuz's review against another edition
5.0
Original, relevant, Canada, Australia. I'm picky, and I loved this story collection. With other books, I skip around because they're not up to my phantasmic snuff (character dignity, optimistic narration with nuance, where can we find it- here), and I couldn't skip a beat in Rowe's voice. No extraneous details in it. The thing dances.
rosannajhunt's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful, memorable stories, with the kinds of endings that knock the wind out of you.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
‘It strikes me that this is what strangers do. Make offerings before stepping over the threshold of another’s house. That is what we are now.’
Ten short stories about time. About living and remembering, about recounting events. Set across the world: different locations, different people with different experiences. I read each story, take it in, imagine what came before or what might happen next. The people (and events) become real.
How does Ms Rowe do this?
‘Sinkers’ took me to the Snowy Mountains, where the drowned town of Adaminaby lies under Lake Eucumbene. And reminded me of the other drowned towns of Jindabyne and Talbingo. But it is not the landscape which held my attention in this story (familiar as it is) but the impact on people.
‘Chavez’, a longer story, took me into the world of an agoraphobic woman looking after her neighbour’s dog. It is meant to be for a short period only, but events elsewhere in the world have an impact.
Returning to the first story, ‘Glisk’, I learn that a ‘glisk’ is a Scots word meaning glance or a twinkling. And in this story, there are two events which take place in an instant and which are important in the life of Fynn, whose story is being narrated by his half-brother Raf. Lives are changed, defined, and sometimes destroyed by such moments.
People move across the world, into and out of the lives of others. Relationships and perceptions evolve. Time is not static, nor is it linear. I have mentioned three stories and perhaps they are my favourites for now. But when I reread these stories, and I know I will, my focus may shift.
‘This is not what we do. This is not how we get close to each other, by making ourselves seem defective enough to safely befriend.’
If you enjoy beautifully written self-contained short stories that invite you to think, then you may enjoy this book as much as I did.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Ten short stories about time. About living and remembering, about recounting events. Set across the world: different locations, different people with different experiences. I read each story, take it in, imagine what came before or what might happen next. The people (and events) become real.
How does Ms Rowe do this?
‘Sinkers’ took me to the Snowy Mountains, where the drowned town of Adaminaby lies under Lake Eucumbene. And reminded me of the other drowned towns of Jindabyne and Talbingo. But it is not the landscape which held my attention in this story (familiar as it is) but the impact on people.
‘Chavez’, a longer story, took me into the world of an agoraphobic woman looking after her neighbour’s dog. It is meant to be for a short period only, but events elsewhere in the world have an impact.
Returning to the first story, ‘Glisk’, I learn that a ‘glisk’ is a Scots word meaning glance or a twinkling. And in this story, there are two events which take place in an instant and which are important in the life of Fynn, whose story is being narrated by his half-brother Raf. Lives are changed, defined, and sometimes destroyed by such moments.
People move across the world, into and out of the lives of others. Relationships and perceptions evolve. Time is not static, nor is it linear. I have mentioned three stories and perhaps they are my favourites for now. But when I reread these stories, and I know I will, my focus may shift.
‘This is not what we do. This is not how we get close to each other, by making ourselves seem defective enough to safely befriend.’
If you enjoy beautifully written self-contained short stories that invite you to think, then you may enjoy this book as much as I did.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
kimswhims's review against another edition
3.0
I read this collection because it is long-listed for the 2020 Stella Prize.
Not my cup of tea at all. Short stories, for me, often don't hold enough character development and not enough of the three necessaries: A beginning, a middle and an end. This certainly applied for this collection.
The writing is good enough about these transient moments in time and any one of them would adapt well into part of a longer story. There is probably even some good metaphor here but I was so bored by the lack of plot that I couldn't be bothered investing any further into it.
All these stories ended with a whimper, not memorable at all. Apart from maybe a wildcat that crosses the ice with one of it's kittens carried in it's mouth. Metaphorical perhaps.
I hope anyone else who reads this get's a lot more from it than I did.
Rating is rounded up from a 2.5 to a three because the writing is good enough, to only just prevent me from dnfing it.
Hoping the other short story collections on the Stella long list hold more entertainment.
Not my cup of tea at all. Short stories, for me, often don't hold enough character development and not enough of the three necessaries: A beginning, a middle and an end. This certainly applied for this collection.
The writing is good enough about these transient moments in time and any one of them would adapt well into part of a longer story. There is probably even some good metaphor here but I was so bored by the lack of plot that I couldn't be bothered investing any further into it.
All these stories ended with a whimper, not memorable at all. Apart from maybe a wildcat that crosses the ice with one of it's kittens carried in it's mouth. Metaphorical perhaps.
I hope anyone else who reads this get's a lot more from it than I did.
Rating is rounded up from a 2.5 to a three because the writing is good enough, to only just prevent me from dnfing it.
Hoping the other short story collections on the Stella long list hold more entertainment.
laura_storyteller's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ashmagoffin's review against another edition
I probably wasn't smart enough to read this short story collection
hcube3's review against another edition
4.0
overall a very high quality collection - shimmery writing, the kind that makes me recognise that it took a lot of skill to write, and though it wasn't always my jam, it was consistently impressive. Also, the pineapple in Chavez made it all worthwhile.
kaydee's review against another edition
5.0
What an incredible collection of stories. Rowe’s writing is exquisite, her characters, her phrasing, the way she conjures emotions and places. I am in absolute awe.
I was once a great lover of silence, or at least certain silences. In the time when silences were still promises. A hush, I suppose, is the better word for what I loved - a quietness that looks forward to a particular moment but is in no particular hurry to get there.
I was once a great lover of silence, or at least certain silences. In the time when silences were still promises. A hush, I suppose, is the better word for what I loved - a quietness that looks forward to a particular moment but is in no particular hurry to get there.
bookalong's review against another edition
4.0
What a wonderful short story collection! A introspective and thoughtful read. Heartbreaking and endearing. Rowe's writing is lush and impressive! I loved how she used different locales to backdrop and shape around these stories and characters. It really added something different each one. And the characters within were realistic and layered. Some of the stories hit me harder than others but as a whole it's a solid collection. Definitely check this one out October 8th!
•
Thank You to the publisher for #gifting it to me opinions are my own.
•
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
•
Thank You to the publisher for #gifting it to me opinions are my own.
•
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
meganori's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this collection, but didn't love it. Rowe conveys her characters incredibly well in such short stories.