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emily7823's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
There was a dark, morose vibe to these stories, which I didn’t like. I liked 3/10 of them at the most. The negative feel, lack of hope or uplift in most of the stories, didn’t intrigue me to want to keep reading. Some I hated and they were just frustrating to read. I like to be enthralled. Disappointed in this collection and glad it was a short book.
rachaelreads666's review
5.0
A collection of 11 stories.
Wow! These short stories were inspiring, beautiful & haunting all at once.
I feel refreshed but heart broken. I want more and I’ve only just finished it!
This book was a little different to my usual reads and I was excited to try something new! Annalisa has a wonderful way with words, the writing was excellent! Descriptive but easy to follow. The stories are all different lengths, which I loved as it kept things interesting! The mixture of fictional and real life scenarios worked so well together. The author hits on some hard topics such as Covid and depression (without actually mentioning those words) which I thought was really impressive.
I will be recommending this collection of short stories to all my fellow reading friends. This is definitely a book everyone should read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow! These short stories were inspiring, beautiful & haunting all at once.
I feel refreshed but heart broken. I want more and I’ve only just finished it!
This book was a little different to my usual reads and I was excited to try something new! Annalisa has a wonderful way with words, the writing was excellent! Descriptive but easy to follow. The stories are all different lengths, which I loved as it kept things interesting! The mixture of fictional and real life scenarios worked so well together. The author hits on some hard topics such as Covid and depression (without actually mentioning those words) which I thought was really impressive.
I will be recommending this collection of short stories to all my fellow reading friends. This is definitely a book everyone should read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
cupsofcoffee's review
4.0
This was a fun and light read. I found the stories’ plot and twists a bit unoriginal, but the author’s writing made them interesting. The first three stories were wonderfully written; I absolutely loved feeling the tension in “The Woman in the Van” and “Vera Says”. The final stories were less exciting and I found myself less interested in reading them. Overall, I really like the author’s writing and recommend this quick read to readers who like short stories.
[ARC provided by BookSirens in exchange for an honest voluntary review]
[ARC provided by BookSirens in exchange for an honest voluntary review]
srivalli's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
4.0
This book is a collection of short stories selected as finalists/ winners for various awards. Hence there is no common theme or underlying thread that connects them. The writing styles are also different. The best part is that no short story drags or feels boring. Each piece is concise and poignant in its own way.
As with most anthologies, I loved some stories, enjoyed a few, and wasn’t that impressed by a couple of them. Here’s a list of the stories in the collection:
The Clock in My Mother’s House Runs Backwards: You can guess the storyline from the title. But is it what it is? How does it affect the characters? It is beautiful and sad.
The Woman in the Van: Why did the old mysterious woman stop at this small town? What’s with the teen grieving his dead mother? This is an emotional tale that ends exactly where it should. Bittersweet and hopeful.
Vera Says: Does the GPS voice have a mind of its own? If so, what are its intentions? This is a short piece that seems almost causal but ends with an abrupt twist. The contrast highlights how things can change in an instant and spiral out of control.
All the Magpies Come Out to Play: This story is set during the Covid lockdown. It has a slight dystopian feel to it with a reined-in emotional display. An interesting take on the topic.
A Thousand Pieces of You: Written in the second-person POV, the story is laced with melancholy, confusion, frustration, helplessness, and pain. It is sad but with a subtly hopeful ending.
Click: How does the young narrator deal with the sudden, unexplained change in her life? Do the pictures she clicks comfort her? This is a story of family, relationships, adjustments, coping, and resilience. The almost detached narration keeps the emotions from overwhelming the reader.
One Minute Silence: It takes just one moment to change several lives forever. The story is presented in snippets that increase tension and accelerate the plot. It’s powerful and makes a lasting impression. Easily one of my favorites in the collection.
Black Dog: This is a little too short and vague for me. The black dog seems to be a metaphor for anxiety or depression, maybe grief.
The Fear of Ghosts: An interesting version of a haunted house plot but with a blind protag. This is my kind of horror story. I love it. That ending… perfectly sinister.
Adventures in My Own Back Garden: What does the narrator’s garden mean to them? Why is it so important in their life? This is such a heartwarming story! A rollercoaster ride of emotions that ends on a hopeful note. A beautiful way to end the collection.
To summarize, The Clock in My Mother's House is one of the best anthologies by a single author I’ve read in recent times. That’s because even the simplest of stories have a deeper meaning once you take the time to think about the character and their actions.
Thank you, Book Sirens and author Annalisa Crawford, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment
roshreviews's review
mysterious
fast-paced
4.25
n a Nutshell: Wow! I can't believe it's just the first half of February and I already have one more strong contender for ‘Best Anthology of the Year 2023’! An amazing collection without a doubt.
The ten stories in this indie anthology have no theme in common. The genres too are somewhat distinct: speculative fiction, paranormal, mental health, general fiction,… What can be pointed out as common to each tale is the presence of a strong narrator. Every story has a protagonist that will grab your attention.
Many of the stories herein have been finalists or winners of varied short story awards. After reading this book, I can clearly see why.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the ten stories, a whopping six stories were at 4.5 or 5 stars. The rest were between 3 to 4 stars. So not a single bad story; you get either good or outstanding. Most of the ones that I rated on the lower side also were attention-grabbing to me; they only fell short in terms of their endings. The sole exception (and the only story that got a three-star from me) was a tale called ‘Black Dog.’ I liked the writing, but I think I was too obtuse to understand it. 😄
These were my top favourites with 5 stars each:
🌹 The Clock in My Mother's House Runs Backwards: Reminded me of the Benjamin Button short story, but this is even darker.
🌹 One Minute Silence: Astounding writing. I was speechless at the end.
🌹 Adventures in My Own Back Garden: Began a bit slowly and I was wondering where it was going. Until the layers started coming off one by one. I was left with a big happy teary grin at the end.
Honorary mentions with 4.5 stars:
🌷 The Woman in the Van: I liked how it didn’t give any explanations. Something was going to happen, someone already knew it and came to help. That’s it. No hows or whys.
🌷 A Thousand Pieces of You: A portrayal of mental health struggles with the narrative device of a mirror. Excellently written in second person.
🌷 The Fear of Ghosts: Knew where it was going, but still was captivated by it. The protagonist being blind was an interesting touch as it heightened the spooks.
A must-read entertainer. Definitely recommended to short story lovers. (And if you don’t like short stories, you ought to try at least the ones I mentioned above.)
4.2 stars, based on the average of my rating for each story.
This rating should make me click on the 4 star mark wherever I have to hit the star button. But I will make an exception to my own mathematical rule and hit the five star mark this once, because I relished the writing in almost every story, I LOVED the imagination of the author, and this is an indie work so it deserves every bit of support. I wish I could change its cover to a more attention-grabbing one!
My thanks to author Annalisa Crawford and BookSirens for the DRC of “The Clock in My Mother's House”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
The ten stories in this indie anthology have no theme in common. The genres too are somewhat distinct: speculative fiction, paranormal, mental health, general fiction,… What can be pointed out as common to each tale is the presence of a strong narrator. Every story has a protagonist that will grab your attention.
Many of the stories herein have been finalists or winners of varied short story awards. After reading this book, I can clearly see why.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the ten stories, a whopping six stories were at 4.5 or 5 stars. The rest were between 3 to 4 stars. So not a single bad story; you get either good or outstanding. Most of the ones that I rated on the lower side also were attention-grabbing to me; they only fell short in terms of their endings. The sole exception (and the only story that got a three-star from me) was a tale called ‘Black Dog.’ I liked the writing, but I think I was too obtuse to understand it. 😄
These were my top favourites with 5 stars each:
🌹 The Clock in My Mother's House Runs Backwards: Reminded me of the Benjamin Button short story, but this is even darker.
🌹 One Minute Silence: Astounding writing. I was speechless at the end.
🌹 Adventures in My Own Back Garden: Began a bit slowly and I was wondering where it was going. Until the layers started coming off one by one. I was left with a big happy teary grin at the end.
Honorary mentions with 4.5 stars:
🌷 The Woman in the Van: I liked how it didn’t give any explanations. Something was going to happen, someone already knew it and came to help. That’s it. No hows or whys.
🌷 A Thousand Pieces of You: A portrayal of mental health struggles with the narrative device of a mirror. Excellently written in second person.
🌷 The Fear of Ghosts: Knew where it was going, but still was captivated by it. The protagonist being blind was an interesting touch as it heightened the spooks.
A must-read entertainer. Definitely recommended to short story lovers. (And if you don’t like short stories, you ought to try at least the ones I mentioned above.)
4.2 stars, based on the average of my rating for each story.
This rating should make me click on the 4 star mark wherever I have to hit the star button. But I will make an exception to my own mathematical rule and hit the five star mark this once, because I relished the writing in almost every story, I LOVED the imagination of the author, and this is an indie work so it deserves every bit of support. I wish I could change its cover to a more attention-grabbing one!
My thanks to author Annalisa Crawford and BookSirens for the DRC of “The Clock in My Mother's House”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
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