Reviews with content warning for Child death - Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town

This was a collection of short stories, but ones that were interconnected with each other in one way or another. For example, one story would be about a girl, and then the next about her sister. Or her best friend. And there were certain characters that were focal points in some stories and mentioned in passing in others. I listened to this on audiobook, and I think I might've seen the connections a bit more closely if I'd read it physically, just because I wasn't always 100% conscious of the characters' names. However, I really did like the way the stories were interwoven! It made it a lot more interesting, tbh.

I really enjoyed Hitchcock's writing and got really invested in the characters' lives. I did, in some stories, wish I got a bit of a satisfying ending, but I also knew that it wasn't unusual for short stories to not offer that, so it didn't make me mad or annoyed or anything. I definitely want to read more by this author! I would advise you to check out the trigger warnings before going into the book, though. There was a lot about sexual abuse of children in some stories, particularly sexual abuse by religious leaders.

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bexh's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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gladiator_fox's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

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juliezantopoulos's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious relaxing sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I adore Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock's The Smell of Other People's Houses and this book felt a lot like a love letter to that novel. I don't think it tied together the storylines quite as well as Other People's Houses did, though. I saw the threads, but there were SO many characters that keeping everything straight for really difficult. Still, the stories held up on their own beautifully.

There was a content warning at the start of the book, but frankly, I'm not sure it was enough. It says:
"One of the many story strands in this novel is connected to sexual abuse (not graphic), which may be a sensitive issue for some readers."

I'm not sure how "non-graphic" it is. It's not necessarily off screen and is told in a way that the reader feels very present during the abuse. I will also say that the book covers the loss of a sibling, abduction, trauma, grief, cheating, and sexual abuse of children by adults (specifically clergy).

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rockatanskette's review against another edition

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reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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ainsya's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

"In a small town you are forever defined by the worst thing that happened to you."

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town is a collection of short stories that follows a varied group of teen characters in small towns throughout the American West and Northwest. The book explores the concept of death in many different ways, beyond the literal sense of it like the death of innocence, childhood, memories, of love and of hope. It was unexpected but in a beautiful way.

Typically I don't tend to gravitate towards short stories as I always end up feeling like I'm missing a lot of the backstory and what happens next. However, this book did a great job at interweaving the stories and characters into each other that it feels relatively complete and enough to satisfy me as a reader. The connections between the characters are subtle and it just goes to show the complex connection of one human being to another. How you'll never know what a big or small impact you have on another person's lives. The stories are heavily character driven and there isn't much of a huge storyline really. It's more about the human experience and a slice of life kind of book, just stuff that could be happening on any other day (which are the types of books I love to read).

I thought the offerings were pretty consistent throughout the book despite a couple weak entries. There were a few instances where I wished the stories are longer though.

My top 3 favorites were:
1. There's Gas in the Tank, Louise! "She has missed them because sisters should never leave their sisters." This one honestly deserves a book on its own. Wished it was longer so I get to spend more time with the characters. It's so emotional, left me teary eyed. This was a good one to wrap up the collection.
2. The Right Kind of People.
3. The Stranger in the Woods.
4. [Honorary mention] Parking Lot Flowers.

Side note: can we talk about Hitchcock's unmatchable, top notch book/story titles? Some of the best titles I've come across.

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bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Like Hitchcock's stunning debut (THE SMELL OF OTHER PEOPLE'S HOUSES! A must-read!), this is beautifully written, and I'm a sucker for the throughline: the lives of young people growing up in small towns. And yet I can't shake the feeling that the collection as a whole is half-baked. I really enjoyed some stories and didn't invest in others. Make use of that as you will.

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erins_library's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

(Gifted from the publisher via Netgalley)

A few years back, I narrated the audiobook for Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock’s The Smell of Other People’s Houses. So when I saw that she had a new book coming out I was so excited and ready to get my hands on it!! I didn’t read too deeply into the synopsis before diving in. All I knew was that it was a short story collection and the title... which gave me some idea. I was pleasantly surprised that all the stories ended up being connected to each other in some way and built off of each one. It reminded me of Bonnie-Sue’s first book with the multiple perspectives and seeing how they all connected. It’s something I really enjoy about her storytelling style!

The stories themselves felt like an ode to small towns and the communities they hold. Small towns get a reputation for being places where nothing happens, life stands still. But these stories are bursting with life, love, heartbreak, tragedy, and more. The characters were great and I especially loved seeing them through new perspectives when they popped up in different stories. I most related to 2 characters in one of the stories who are not outdoorsy camping types, but because they’re Alaskan people expect them to be experts. Very relatable. I flew through the book and think many of you would enjoy it as well. Releases in April!

CW: trauma, sexual abuse, pedophilia, child death, murder, grief, drug use, car crash, wildfire, cheating

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