Reviews

White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link

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cpq's review

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mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

suvata's review against another edition

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3.0

#OUABC 2023 Reading Challenge: 40 Prompts (31. Short story or essay collection)

#StoryGraph: fiction literary short-stories dark mysterious reflective magical-realism retelling
272 pages • first pub 2023 • 3.5 Stars

I’m huge fan of Kelly Link and have read all of her books. This collection was my least favorite but still very good. Magical-realism with a pinch of horror.

DESCRIPTION

Seven ingeniously reinvented fairy tales that play out with astonishing consequences in the modern world, from one of today’s finest short story writers—MacArthur “Genius Grant” fellow Kelly Link, bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Get in Trouble

Finding seeds of inspiration in the Brothers Grimm, seventeenth-century French lore, and Scottish ballads, Kelly Link spins classic fairy tales into utterly original stories of seekers—characters on the hunt for love, connection, revenge, or their own sense of purpose.

In “The White Cat’s Divorce,” an aging billionaire sends his three sons on a series of absurd goose chases to decide which child will become his heir. In “The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear,” a professor with a delicate health condition becomes stranded for days in an airport hotel after a conference, desperate to get home to her wife and young daughter, and in acute danger of being late for an appointment that cannot be missed. In “Skinder’s Veil,” a young man agrees to take over a remote house-sitting gig for a friend. But what should be a chance to focus on his long-avoided dissertation instead becomes a wildly unexpected journey, as the house seems to be a portal for otherworldly travelers—or perhaps a door into his own mysterious psyche.

Twisting and turning in astonishing ways, expertly blending realism and the speculative, witty, empathetic, and never predictable—these stories remind us once again of why Kelly Link is incomparable in the realm of short fiction.

tallgirlsummer's review

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funny mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I'm crazy about Kelly Link. She creates things that are totally new. Her stories are delightful, hilarious, and brilliant.

cyntismiles's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories! It was very imaginative and interesting! Kelly Link built such ambitious worlds and characters in so little time and I loved it!

I thought this would lean more heavily on the fairytales that inspired each story. Initially, I was a bit confused and questioned if I actually knew the original fairytales. I enjoyed the collection more once I realized the fairytales were super loose inspiration or had loose connections. I think this is best approached as a collection of short stories vs a collection of fairytale retellings/inspired stories.

The White Cat's Divorce:
I wasn't really sure where this one was going and I felt surprised by the ending.

This story was one of the more fairytale-feeling/structured stories. It wasn't as innovative as some of the other stories. So while I liked it, after reading all the stories, it wasn't a standout.

Also, very irrelevant, but I had such a hard time with the pronunciation of Colorado. I know most people in Colorado say ColoRAD-o but I tend to use ColoRAH-dough. It pulled me out of the story every time. It makes 0 sense because I grew up in Colorado, where most people say it the first way and have no issue in real life. Anyway, tangent.

Prince Hat Underground:
East of the Sun, West of the Moon is one of my favourite fairytales so I was very excited about this story! Plus, it was narrated by Dan Stevens (what joy!!). This was the first story where I realized that the "inspired by fairytales" in this collection is very much "loosely inspired by" vs retelling. There are some East of the Sun, West of the Moon elements, but once I let go of the fairytale itself, I had more fun.

I enjoyed the characters and found this story humorous and fun! It forces the reader to accept that there is a man named "Prince Hat" and everyone in the modern world just accepts it. That is silliness I can get behind!

Mostly, I liked this story for the odd things that we just have to accept as true.

The White Road
This was my favourite of the collection! It was very innovative and pulled me right into the story. I liked the apocalyptic setting and the traveling musicians gave me some hints of Station Eleven (which is completely different otherwise).

The white road itself was such an intriguing idea that slowly unravels for the reader throughout the story. Link was masterful in the use of suspense and intrigue. Ultimately, I don't think all our questions about the white road are answered but I felt very satisfied. Readers who like a good solid ending might feel differently but I enjoyed it.

When it ended, I just wanted more! I have not stopped thinking about the white road since!

The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear
This one was interesting in that I wanted to see where it was going. Ultimately, it might have been a little too obtuse as I needed some help to figure out the main character's "condition". Once I learned what this was it made sense but I spent most of the story confused.

Knowing what I know now, the story made more sense but there was a lot that I am still confused about. I feel like it should mean something but I don't know what that something is.

Is it just me or was every single person on the airplane also a lesbian? Or at least a woman? It felt significant but not something I understood. Would I get it if I were a lesbian? I really feel like I'm missing something. Also, why did her wife look like a younger version of her? I'm so confused.

The Game of Smash and Recovery
This was a sci-fi story with some cool ideas but unfortunately, it didn't grip me that much. Honestly, I don't really know what to say about this one. I feel like if this was a movie I would have enjoyed it but something about it didn't work at the time for me. Maybe it felt too bland/standard sci-fi? I'm not sure.

Part of it might have been that I had a hard time hearing the narrator. For most people it should be fine, I just have some issues that cause me to have trouble hearing certain vocal ranges.

The Lady and the Fox
This was such a fun, nostalgic, Christmas-y story, and I loved it! This story leaned a little more on the fairytale side and I enjoyed it a lot!

It was pretty straightforward, so I mostly liked it for the vibes and characters.

Skinder's Veil
What a weird, interesting story! Read by Patton Oswalt!

There are a number of stories within this story. I found them all interesting. I'm still not really sure what the "point" of this story was, but I felt creeped out at parts, interested, and surprised so I enjoyed it! Some of the twists were very fun and while I don't feel like I really understand them, I enjoyed them.