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wintrovia's review
5.0
I don’t typically enjoy short story collections. The shorter format makes it harder to get absorbed in a story and jumping from one to another can feel disorienting. I’m glad I put aside my reservations and have Mary South’s collection a chance. I was rewarded by a range of stories that were a pleasure to read.
The stories vary in subject but there is a consistency across them that’s hard to pin down. Each has a similar feel, like they exist in that same world as each other which is much like our own but somehow different.
Mary South has a skill for taking an otherwise every day situation and adding an unusual twist to it that makes for an intriguing story. Often this involves a new piece of technology or a change in the way society works. I liked how these scenarios weren’t the real subject of the story, it was always the people in the stories that were the focus.
I’m pleased to have reached this far in the review without mentioning Black Mirror but it’s hard to talk about this book without drawing parallels to Charlie Brooker’s TV series. Both explore how messed up humans are through the prism of a near-future version of our world. Both share a fairly bleak view of the world that is made more palatable thanks to a black humour and relatable characters.
I really enjoyed reading these stories and would recommend You WilL Never Be Forgotten to anyone with a taste for dark short stories that are written with skill and real story-telling ability.
The stories vary in subject but there is a consistency across them that’s hard to pin down. Each has a similar feel, like they exist in that same world as each other which is much like our own but somehow different.
Mary South has a skill for taking an otherwise every day situation and adding an unusual twist to it that makes for an intriguing story. Often this involves a new piece of technology or a change in the way society works. I liked how these scenarios weren’t the real subject of the story, it was always the people in the stories that were the focus.
I’m pleased to have reached this far in the review without mentioning Black Mirror but it’s hard to talk about this book without drawing parallels to Charlie Brooker’s TV series. Both explore how messed up humans are through the prism of a near-future version of our world. Both share a fairly bleak view of the world that is made more palatable thanks to a black humour and relatable characters.
I really enjoyed reading these stories and would recommend You WilL Never Be Forgotten to anyone with a taste for dark short stories that are written with skill and real story-telling ability.
maisiegw's review
3.0
Some of the stories in the beginning fell flat for me, but they get better as you go along. "You Will Never Be Forgotten" and "Not Setsuko" were my favorites.
bombadalejr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Delightful and gripping, but rough. The writing style is refreshingly unique.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Medical trauma, Rape, and Stalking
neztoad's review against another edition
I never give short short collections an overall rating. Instead, here are my individual ratings.
• Keith prime - 4.5 stars
• The age of love - 4 stars
• Frequently asked questions about your craniotomy - 4 stars
• Architecture for monsters - 2 stars
• The promised hostel - 4 stars
• You will never be forgotten - 5 stars
• Camp jabberwocky for recovering internet trolls - 2 stars
• To save the universe, we must also save ourselves - 2.5 stars
• Realtor to the damned - 2 stars
• Not setsuko - 4.5 stars
• Keith prime - 4.5 stars
• The age of love - 4 stars
• Frequently asked questions about your craniotomy - 4 stars
• Architecture for monsters - 2 stars
• The promised hostel - 4 stars
• You will never be forgotten - 5 stars
• Camp jabberwocky for recovering internet trolls - 2 stars
• To save the universe, we must also save ourselves - 2.5 stars
• Realtor to the damned - 2 stars
• Not setsuko - 4.5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Stalking and Child death
ohhek's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
pharmadelica's review
3.0
this shit is so bleak. mary south is a good prose stylist but i've wanted to kill myself the entire time so far lmao
ridgewaygirl's review
3.0
Mary South is great with the initial hook, creating opening paragraphs that astonish and delight. Here's the opening for Keith Prime, the first story in the book:
The Keiths are Keiths because they are not particularly handsome, not particularly intelligent, not particularly kind. A Keith would never train to compete in professional sports or practice an instrument until he became a maestro. Neither would a Keith jump in front of a loaded gun, but he would help you gather the contents of your grocery bag if you spilled it on the sidewalk.
You want to read a little more, don't you? Or how about this one?
If you're reading this page, chances are you've recently heard that you need to have a craniotomy. Try not to worry. Although, yes, this is brain surgery, you're more likely to die from the underlying condition itself, such as a malignant tumor or subdural hematoma.
That's from Frequently Asked Questions About Your Craniotomy; South is also great at coming up with intriguing titles. The ideas that South tackles in her stories remind me of early George Sanders, with one story centering on a summer camp for teenage cyberbullies, another about a grieving mother forcing her new daughter to live her dead daughter's life, one is told from the point of view of the fandom for a science fiction tv show. Where these stories sometimes fall short is in finding the heart of the story behind the clever ideas, and not every story gels on the page to become something greater than an idea stretched into the shape of a short story. But the ones that do, really shine.
The Keiths are Keiths because they are not particularly handsome, not particularly intelligent, not particularly kind. A Keith would never train to compete in professional sports or practice an instrument until he became a maestro. Neither would a Keith jump in front of a loaded gun, but he would help you gather the contents of your grocery bag if you spilled it on the sidewalk.
You want to read a little more, don't you? Or how about this one?
If you're reading this page, chances are you've recently heard that you need to have a craniotomy. Try not to worry. Although, yes, this is brain surgery, you're more likely to die from the underlying condition itself, such as a malignant tumor or subdural hematoma.
That's from Frequently Asked Questions About Your Craniotomy; South is also great at coming up with intriguing titles. The ideas that South tackles in her stories remind me of early George Sanders, with one story centering on a summer camp for teenage cyberbullies, another about a grieving mother forcing her new daughter to live her dead daughter's life, one is told from the point of view of the fandom for a science fiction tv show. Where these stories sometimes fall short is in finding the heart of the story behind the clever ideas, and not every story gels on the page to become something greater than an idea stretched into the shape of a short story. But the ones that do, really shine.
asunnybooknook's review against another edition
4.0
Strong and darkly funny collection of short stories that, in some ways, toe the line between contemporary and speculative, and in other ways, are just the embodiments of the humor and depravity of technology’s implications on humans relationships with one another. Worth reading if you enjoyed We Had To Remove This Post or Several People Are Typing.
3.5
3.5
juperez's review
4.0
A remarkable collection in almost every way. The stories feel familiar and original at the same time, imbued with internet lingo and touchingly morbid.