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beachesnbooks's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic short story collection focusing on fractured or fracturing relationships and incredibly human characters. The stories are thoughtful and beautifully written, and they stayed with me long after I finished reading them. 4.5 stars.
Some of my favorite stories in the collection:
-"Kintsukuroi," about a woman who uses gold to repair broken pottery in her shop, as she focuses on the beauty despite the wrongness of the affair she's having
-"Abandon," about a woman who seemingly loses everything in the aftermath of an accident and a miscarriage--except her best friend, who's there, like it or not, to help her pick up the pieces
-"Seal," about a woman and her partner debating whether to relocate when they have their first child, and how she faces the aftermath of her mother's alcoholism
And my absolute favorite of the collection was the final story, "Beholden," which is the most sensitive and achingly real portrayal of post-9/11 New York that I've ever read, and which uses fabulism to convey the way that memories never leave us.
I look forward to reading more from Sara Rauch in the future, and hope that her next collection includes even more fabulist fiction in the vein of "Beholden."
I received an ARC of What Shines From It from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Some of my favorite stories in the collection:
-"Kintsukuroi," about a woman who uses gold to repair broken pottery in her shop, as she focuses on the beauty despite the wrongness of the affair she's having
-"Abandon," about a woman who seemingly loses everything in the aftermath of an accident and a miscarriage--except her best friend, who's there, like it or not, to help her pick up the pieces
-"Seal," about a woman and her partner debating whether to relocate when they have their first child, and how she faces the aftermath of her mother's alcoholism
And my absolute favorite of the collection was the final story, "Beholden," which is the most sensitive and achingly real portrayal of post-9/11 New York that I've ever read, and which uses fabulism to convey the way that memories never leave us.
I look forward to reading more from Sara Rauch in the future, and hope that her next collection includes even more fabulist fiction in the vein of "Beholden."
I received an ARC of What Shines From It from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
lovelybookshelf's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
There are 11 short stories in this collection, and overall this was a solid "it was good, I liked it" read for me. The first 5 stories really wowed me, I definitely enjoyed the last story, but the others in between didn't have the same impact. I found my mind wandering as I read. Sara Rauch has a knack for telling people stories, though, getting to the heart of what motivates and moves her characters and how they interact with each other. Her writing flows easily and is filled with warmth, even when exploring darker themes. If you love character-driven short stories, be sure to check out this book.
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