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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this book. Based on the synopsis I admit to expecting more run of the mill childhood experiences, but I also wasn't paying that close of attention (I read it for a book challenge). A lot of the protagonists were similar in their manner of thought and actions. Often it felt like the same child, just at a different age. Interesting stories, however.
Don't read this if you're looking for happy feelings. This is not a feel-good book. Is the writing beautiful? Yes. But the synopsis acts like these stories portray a range of growing up and girl-hood, and I would say they do not.
This book is why the phrase 'trigger warning' exists. This book will poke every wound you've got, and you'll be left sinking in melancholy. Every story left me feeling the same- an uncomfortable confusion, with sadness and distrust for people.
In each story, the main character is struggling to navigate a tough time in her life when some tragedy has occurred, no one understands her, someone's trying to take advantage of her, and others are acting out against her. I can appreciate a theme, but this depressing message is constantly forced onto the reader. Perhaps the author was going for depressing themes to show snippets of that dark side of life and have the reader feeling understood. I did not feel this way. I felt, like I said before, that she was trying to open old wounds as a cheap way to portray 'depth.'
Or perhaps the author was simply comparing stories of different rough times to show how people can be hurt in different ways. I admit that I don't find this a compelling message for a collection of nine stories, and I wish they could have been handled differently without checking off these difficult situations. Without reading it, you could already start guessing what these situations are. Some stories bordered on melodramatic. It began to feel disrespectful, like these tragedies were used as mechanisms to make the reader feel sad, as if that's what makes a good book. I acknowledge that this would be hard to avoid with these being the central themes of this book, and essentially all plot points are mechanisms to make the reader feel something. But I will say that these stories could serve as tools to assist those who have not experienced these emotions or similar situations in learning to understand and build empathy. The problem is that the people who could benefit from this learning the most will not be the ones picking it up to read it.
I liked one story: "When She is Old and I Am Famous"
It was maybe the least bleak of the bunch, and it seemed like the characters potentially learned something.
In conclusion, if you're looking for nuanced stories of young girls coming into their own and finding their own strength leaving you feeling inspired, this is not the book for you.
This book is why the phrase 'trigger warning' exists. This book will poke every wound you've got, and you'll be left sinking in melancholy. Every story left me feeling the same- an uncomfortable confusion, with sadness and distrust for people.
In each story, the main character is struggling to navigate a tough time in her life when some tragedy has occurred, no one understands her, someone's trying to take advantage of her, and others are acting out against her. I can appreciate a theme, but this depressing message is constantly forced onto the reader. Perhaps the author was going for depressing themes to show snippets of that dark side of life and have the reader feeling understood. I did not feel this way. I felt, like I said before, that she was trying to open old wounds as a cheap way to portray 'depth.'
Or perhaps the author was simply comparing stories of different rough times to show how people can be hurt in different ways. I admit that I don't find this a compelling message for a collection of nine stories, and I wish they could have been handled differently without checking off these difficult situations. Without reading it, you could already start guessing what these situations are. Some stories bordered on melodramatic. It began to feel disrespectful, like these tragedies were used as mechanisms to make the reader feel sad, as if that's what makes a good book. I acknowledge that this would be hard to avoid with these being the central themes of this book, and essentially all plot points are mechanisms to make the reader feel something. But I will say that these stories could serve as tools to assist those who have not experienced these emotions or similar situations in learning to understand and build empathy. The problem is that the people who could benefit from this learning the most will not be the ones picking it up to read it.
I liked one story: "When She is Old and I Am Famous"
It was maybe the least bleak of the bunch, and it seemed like the characters potentially learned something.
In conclusion, if you're looking for nuanced stories of young girls coming into their own and finding their own strength leaving you feeling inspired, this is not the book for you.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I bought How to Breathe Underwater because I had to read one of the stories for my MA. I remember enjoying the story but I didn’t read any of the others at the time (because I had to read a number of other stories) and I didn’t remember anything about the story I had read when I went back to the collection.
Like many collections of short stories (with the exception of We All Hear Stories in the Dark) the stories vary in quality. In the stronger ones, Julie Orringer builds a sense of tension that is actually physical, I had a tightness in my chest and a clenching of my jaw. In the weaker, there was a general air of unpleasantness. Most of the stories have what I feel is a common problem in short stories, a world and characters are built but then there’s a feeling that ‘something’ needs to happen which, in a collection, makes it rather exhausting and depressing. The blurb promised ‘rare exhilarating moments of victory’, unfortunately I found these moments too rare.
The best story in the collection is clearly Isabel Fish. This is one of the stories that physically gripped me and also had a moment of victory. It’s about a brother and sister who are both wracked by guilt after the accidental death of the brother’s girlfriend. Their relationship is completely fraught and they are both in extremely fragile places with a very moving ending.
Pilgrims, Care (the story I had read for my MA) and The Stations of the Cross were the other stories which built up a similar sense of dread. I imagine Pilgrims and Stations of the Cross were put at opposite ends of the book because they are very similar. They both take place during a large gathering during a holiday, both show children going off to play with each other in the back garden and both end in horror. Care didn’t really have an ending but I enjoyed the tetchy, itchy, out-of-control feeling of the drug addict babysitting her niece.
Note to Sixth Grade Self seemed like the result of a writing prompt and I’m sure I’ve written similar stories to it before. What We Save was utterly horrid, the combination of cancer, sexual molestation, Disneyworld and smashed spectacles that I would never have asked for.
These stories succeed in their tone, their build up of tension and the carefully constructed, clear depictions of their characters and locations. They fail when it comes to ‘story’, either drifting without one, hoping an issue can replace it. or relying on something extremely unpleasant to happen in the last page. In some stories, the good outweighs the bad (and Isabel Fish is a wonderful story) in others the bad outweighs the good (looking at you What We Save) and in most, the tension between the two make for interesting reading.
Like many collections of short stories (with the exception of We All Hear Stories in the Dark) the stories vary in quality. In the stronger ones, Julie Orringer builds a sense of tension that is actually physical, I had a tightness in my chest and a clenching of my jaw. In the weaker, there was a general air of unpleasantness. Most of the stories have what I feel is a common problem in short stories, a world and characters are built but then there’s a feeling that ‘something’ needs to happen which, in a collection, makes it rather exhausting and depressing. The blurb promised ‘rare exhilarating moments of victory’, unfortunately I found these moments too rare.
The best story in the collection is clearly Isabel Fish. This is one of the stories that physically gripped me and also had a moment of victory. It’s about a brother and sister who are both wracked by guilt after the accidental death of the brother’s girlfriend. Their relationship is completely fraught and they are both in extremely fragile places with a very moving ending.
Pilgrims, Care (the story I had read for my MA) and The Stations of the Cross were the other stories which built up a similar sense of dread. I imagine Pilgrims and Stations of the Cross were put at opposite ends of the book because they are very similar. They both take place during a large gathering during a holiday, both show children going off to play with each other in the back garden and both end in horror. Care didn’t really have an ending but I enjoyed the tetchy, itchy, out-of-control feeling of the drug addict babysitting her niece.
Note to Sixth Grade Self seemed like the result of a writing prompt and I’m sure I’ve written similar stories to it before. What We Save was utterly horrid, the combination of cancer, sexual molestation, Disneyworld and smashed spectacles that I would never have asked for.
These stories succeed in their tone, their build up of tension and the carefully constructed, clear depictions of their characters and locations. They fail when it comes to ‘story’, either drifting without one, hoping an issue can replace it. or relying on something extremely unpleasant to happen in the last page. In some stories, the good outweighs the bad (and Isabel Fish is a wonderful story) in others the bad outweighs the good (looking at you What We Save) and in most, the tension between the two make for interesting reading.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
A very impressive collection of short stories. Definitely one of the best books that I've read this year. I'll be searching out a copy of this author's debut novel that was recently published. The stories are not connected by repeat characters or location, but they are related thematically: they all feature young women (ranging from children to adults) grappling with love, loss, grief, illness, and religion. The stories are unpredictable, but remain realistic and heartfelt. Orringer has a particular talent for portraying the insecurity and desperateness of young girls trying to fit in. The inner monologues of characters faced with the mean-spirited behavior of their friends and classmates are pitch-perfect. Highly recommended.
Favorite quote:
It is impossible to believe how gone she is, how untouchable. She’s the only one who doesn’t have to know what it’s like here on Earth without her.
("The Isobel Fish")
Spoiler
It is impossible to believe how gone she is, how untouchable. She’s the only one who doesn’t have to know what it’s like here on Earth without her.
("The Isobel Fish")
This book had some of the most beautiful writing that remained consistent throughout the various short stories. While reading “Note to Sixth-Grade Self,” I felt a real pain and embarrassment which no other story has ever made me feel. Very underrated.