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selfwinding's review
4.0
In full disclosure, two of the authors in this collection are friends of mine.
What a great collection! I love the idea of stories taking inspiration from each other. The sections that did so less literally came out with more interesting variety, but I did enjoy Part 3 for exploring side characters from the first story (which helped primarily because that first story was so strong).
My favorite stories from the collection include "Coat Check" and "First Date" by Kaitlyn Sudol, "A Room for Death" by Christine Ricketts, and "Return to Form" by Nicole DeGennaro. Sudol's work is delightful and bolstered by characters who are fully realized and endlessly fascinating. In these short works she makes it clear that we're witnessing one small moment of complicated, rich lives, and I have no doubt that these characters live on beyond these few pages. Ricketts engages such restraint in "A Room for Death," that even when the inevitable happens, it is a welcome moment. DeGennaro writes an imaginative and wonderful sci-fi world in "Return to Form," and while the story is exactly the length it needs to be, I found myself wanting to know more about that world.
As always, Lara Eckner's poetry is evocative and fueled by emotion. "Refurbished" and "Temple Break" are my favorites in this collection. "Temple Break" especially is personal and specific, while also being universal.
The art in the collection is also beautiful. I found the pairings with Eckner's poetry to be especially moving. There's something about pairing the "short" forms of art and poetry that made me slow down and study those pieces several times before moving on.
What a great collection! I love the idea of stories taking inspiration from each other. The sections that did so less literally came out with more interesting variety, but I did enjoy Part 3 for exploring side characters from the first story (which helped primarily because that first story was so strong).
My favorite stories from the collection include "Coat Check" and "First Date" by Kaitlyn Sudol, "A Room for Death" by Christine Ricketts, and "Return to Form" by Nicole DeGennaro. Sudol's work is delightful and bolstered by characters who are fully realized and endlessly fascinating. In these short works she makes it clear that we're witnessing one small moment of complicated, rich lives, and I have no doubt that these characters live on beyond these few pages. Ricketts engages such restraint in "A Room for Death," that even when the inevitable happens, it is a welcome moment. DeGennaro writes an imaginative and wonderful sci-fi world in "Return to Form," and while the story is exactly the length it needs to be, I found myself wanting to know more about that world.
As always, Lara Eckner's poetry is evocative and fueled by emotion. "Refurbished" and "Temple Break" are my favorites in this collection. "Temple Break" especially is personal and specific, while also being universal.
The art in the collection is also beautiful. I found the pairings with Eckner's poetry to be especially moving. There's something about pairing the "short" forms of art and poetry that made me slow down and study those pieces several times before moving on.
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