Reviews

Valleyesque: Stories by Fernando A. Flores

nonpracticingintellectual's review

the strangest stories about the borderland, major WTF moments in pretty much all the stories. he combines real life issues with fantasy to create a whole different world in each story, some are close to reality while others are so far removed from reality it takes adjustment to understand what he’s trying to convey. a fun read! my fave stories: the 29th of april, ropa usada, panchofire and marina, and pheasants

kaitlinshares's review

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

materialambition's review

2.0

quite odd

megabooks's review

challenging sad medium-paced

2.5

kaelynreads's review

challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

jocegali's review

She was kinda loopy! The stories dragged on for me… maybe another time!

matpat17's review

5.0

Flittering between a dream-like state and an all out fever dream, Valleyesque is an unpredictable collection of short stories grounded in the absurd and understated. The proud father of an ear wax baby, an explorer of a dangerous thrift store land, Opossums up to no good and more coalesce to create a truly surreal reading experience. Fernando A. Flores balances complete absurdity and carefully inserts it into otherwise mundane life to shape stories of border life that are submerged in surrealism and ask to be read again. Some stories will make you consider what is real, some will make you feel, and some will make you take part in a choose your own adventure Lee Harvey Oswald story.

lizziebennettstan's review

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

dllman05's review

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

jaccarmac's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read Flores's first collection on a recommendation, and was confused by it more than I loved it. I wasn't put off, but the stories seemed to ask for a lot of work, never quite cohered for me. Valleyesque started as a more challenging read, but started to really come together around Possums. There's a clear interleaving rhythm to things up to that point: A weird story, something a bit more grounded. But the dichotomy breaks down, and by the middle of You Got It, Take It Away, the book is daring the reader to categorize what they are currently reading. How important are the Lynchian objects? Do the metatextual elements carry their own weight? As far as the latter question, I felt that the stories got stronger as subject matter shifted back to music and I took in the book like an album. Nostradamus Baby was the heart of things on this first read. Tito's bodega-Texas rant was the comedic highlight. I thought I had escaped the need for diagrams until the very end.