Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
The perfect short stories book. 'Orientation' was th highlight of the lot.
Very funny and dark.
Excellent.
Very funny and dark.
Excellent.
Orientation was a fun and entertaining collection. Orozco has a witty eye for details that are general and personable—his eye did not feel as cutting as Andre Dumas or as emotionally intimate as Alice Munro, but I found the stories to still carry with them a delicacy that understood the unique nature of each character's experience. Many of the stories were new in their format to me, and I particularly liked Officers Weep.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I only read "Orientation." Perhaps I will find time to read the rest of the book in the future.
While reading this short story, memories of my past work place played back—the ridiculous rules, the quirks of my colleagues (and mine). It struck me personally as it did other readers. The individual characters could actually be anyone of us; their follies could be yours or mine. They're too real.
While reading this short story, memories of my past work place played back—the ridiculous rules, the quirks of my colleagues (and mine). It struck me personally as it did other readers. The individual characters could actually be anyone of us; their follies could be yours or mine. They're too real.
Loved this story. It was dark and exactly how it is like in a office. Its like a darker version of the office. Love this!
A decent collection of solidly 2- and 4-star stories (I split the difference for the star rating). Some good, if not groundbreaking, exploration of alienation and the need for human connection. I learned after reading the book that "Orientation" was originally published in the 1990s, and I think that the datedness hurts the collection somewhat. Workplace culture has changed in so many little ways since then.
As with all collections of short stories, some stories will stick with you more than others. Orozco's writing is sharp and on point, with just the right amount of dark humor and poignancy. This collection seems to examine small disruptions in daily tedium, disruptions that are either tragically taken into stride, swept out of mind in favor of routine, or simply makes the routine look even sadder in comparison. I feel like Orozco is more successful when he deals with more minute interactions, as in "Temporary Stories" and "Officers Weep." He tends to overstretch himself when attempting to address more dramatic, heavy handedly "dark" themes, such as "The Bridge," and "I Run Every Day." I found "Somoza's Dream" sort of derailing in terms of flow of the collection, but that the book really hit it's groove in the second half.
some of these stories were good. were really good, like almost too good. so good you hated them because of their self-righteousness. others were bad, were evil even. and you couldn't like those either although you wanted to because their wickedness affected you in subtle ways you didn't enjoy, like by stealing your wallet. but the ones in the middle, those middle stories that were neither good nor bad, they made the book worth while.
Wow. Orozco's fast-paced story, "Orientation," chugs along like a train, perfectly reflecting the repetitive motion of so many office environments. At once darkly comical and shockingly depressing, the narrative voice of "Orientation" reminded me acutely of the manager in my first office environment.