Scan barcode
izzy_a's review
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
inspiredbygrass's review
4.0
I read this as part of the #invisiblecities 2020 project where we read translated fiction from around the world.
The book comprises two novellas and a clutch of short stories , all of which explore the lives of individuals whose options are limited by poverty , illness and powerlessness. All are hardened by their experiences in some way and the tone is often disinterested and fatalistic . If you're looking for happy endings, tortured self reflections and pat narrative arcs you'll be disappointed , here we are drop in on a series of episodes where the action itself describes the interior lives and we understand characters by their impulses and appetites.
The writing is good , especially in the last novella, Sexual Education, where the inventive vulgarity of the teenage girls hemmed in by a hypocritical Catholic education is simply wonderful .
The book comprises two novellas and a clutch of short stories , all of which explore the lives of individuals whose options are limited by poverty , illness and powerlessness. All are hardened by their experiences in some way and the tone is often disinterested and fatalistic . If you're looking for happy endings, tortured self reflections and pat narrative arcs you'll be disappointed , here we are drop in on a series of episodes where the action itself describes the interior lives and we understand characters by their impulses and appetites.
The writing is good , especially in the last novella, Sexual Education, where the inventive vulgarity of the teenage girls hemmed in by a hypocritical Catholic education is simply wonderful .
paulap's review
dark
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This collection of short stories and novellas explores different aspects of growing up. The characters in most stories are quite unlikeable, but somewhat relatable. It does not have a strong sense of place for the most part, and I am not sure of what I learnt.
bookishcori's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Abortion, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Fatphobia, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Minor: Child death and Suicide
dustyloup's review
dark
funny
reflective
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5++ I'm not being fair to this short story collection by giving it 3 stars because it was unique and raw and really made me think. But unlikeable characters and unreliable narrators are exhausting to me. Typically I like knowing almost nothing about a work before reading or watching, but I think I would've been more receptive to stories like Like a Pariah and Fish Soup, where the line between reality and whatever else is verrry blurry- if I'd known about the style in advance.
This book plus last month's read of Dead Girls introduced me to the world of south american fiction - written by women to boot. I'm really glad I had this experience, but I had a hard time getting through it.
PS- if you really liked this collection, especially the unlikeable characters and ennui, you might like Catapult by Emily Fridlund. I still haven't finished it because everyone is horrible. (I loved history of wolves and the characters weren't exactly likeable but I had more time with them)
This book plus last month's read of Dead Girls introduced me to the world of south american fiction - written by women to boot. I'm really glad I had this experience, but I had a hard time getting through it.
PS- if you really liked this collection, especially the unlikeable characters and ennui, you might like Catapult by Emily Fridlund. I still haven't finished it because everyone is horrible. (I loved history of wolves and the characters weren't exactly likeable but I had more time with them)
tinyhousebookworm's review
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book contains two novellas, "Waiting for a hurricane" and "Sex education" and an award winning short story collection, "Worse things". What connects all these pieces is the atmosphere and tone, there's boredom, apathy, and characters that feel stuck in different situations for different reasons and are trying to find a way to escape.
"Stuck on the bedside table there was a box of matches, with a small map of the hotel drawn on it and a cross showing the location of the hotel: You are here. This had made him anxious: being there, underneath that cross, in such a vast and strange place. Stuck."
“Living by the sea is both good and bad for exactly the same reason: the world ends at the horizon. That is, the world never ends. And you always expect too much”
The writing is precise, pungent, with a pinch of dark humor. Another translated gem published by Charco Press.
"Stuck on the bedside table there was a box of matches, with a small map of the hotel drawn on it and a cross showing the location of the hotel: You are here. This had made him anxious: being there, underneath that cross, in such a vast and strange place. Stuck."
“Living by the sea is both good and bad for exactly the same reason: the world ends at the horizon. That is, the world never ends. And you always expect too much”
The writing is precise, pungent, with a pinch of dark humor. Another translated gem published by Charco Press.
sarahtranslates's review
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence