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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Will Ma hit the heights of Severance again? I'm not sure, but these short stories are an elegant collection which I was more than happy to linger with. Ma's prose is as incisive as any scalpel you've met and she has a talent for the creeping uncanny which makes these stories a delight and a horror to imagine. That said, across the stories there gradually forms an image of an every-woman protagonist given the somewhat parallel and sometimes almost exactly similar situations posed: all are lonely and isolated with relationships a source of wounds and no solace, and all face the distortions of reflection with what is essentially nerveless recognition.
It must also be said that, despite the potentially whimsical nature of the fantasia here, at heart there are a series of wounds and injuries being confronted. Each sets up a confrontation with the reader that feels either like a dare or a demonstration. It's not relaxing, but it sure is smart. Given the depths here, I took my time with what could otherwise have been quite a quick read.
All that said, I really enjoyed these, so find a copy from your local library and have at it!
It must also be said that, despite the potentially whimsical nature of the fantasia here, at heart there are a series of wounds and injuries being confronted. Each sets up a confrontation with the reader that feels either like a dare or a demonstration. It's not relaxing, but it sure is smart. Given the depths here, I took my time with what could otherwise have been quite a quick read.
All that said, I really enjoyed these, so find a copy from your local library and have at it!
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A similar vibe to Bora Chung’s and Samata Schweblin’s stories, though I’d rank her slightly below them. I was always interested while reading, but no story really stands out as a favorite to me, maybe the last one for the weirdness factor.
This book is so weird - each story is so in its own universe I had a hard time putting them down - even when I struggled to exactly know what’s going on
Some stories are more rooted in realism and others have the acceptance of dream-logic. Like things that clearly don't make sense but you accept them bc you can somehow rationalize it at bay or altogether ignore it. It makes for a very foggy read. It's hard for my mind to latch onto the plot, rather it forces the emotionality of the story to be more effervescent. Most of the stories seemed to root in discomfort with the self or their experience which typically left me (the reader) experiencing a sense of discomfort and unfinished-ness by the end of the story. I'm general, this book... It's cool? I don't view it as an average book but I also feel like these stories can be dissected like one would about a seemingly irrelevant and random dream. Like a big obvious piece of information and understanding is missing. Maybe I read it too fast but most likely I just didn't sit with the stories long enough.To fully receive this book is to use an amount of brain power that I did not give it lol. So my rating feels under prepared even though I did read every word.
If you like Black Mirror I think you'd like this.
Peking Duck floored me; G queasily gutted me.
“How bizarre that you could be someone else and the world would still absorb you.”
“How bizarre that you could be someone else and the world would still absorb you.”
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
for my second ever collection of short stories, i had a good time here. for one, the cover is beautiful. the stories were also super interesting and i absolutely loved the subtle fantastical/magical realism twist to each of them. i think my absolute favorite was G– the story of tightknit dissolving friendships and ownership gets me every time. but i also loved the others, including office hours and los angeles. the last one with the baby arm (tomorrow) probably unsettled me the most, but i think on the whole it was still thoughtful. ma's writing has such a unique tone to it that to me bordered on prose poetry but still stayed engaging and clear the whole time.