Reviews

Wide Eyed by Trinie Dalton

phantomthreads's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

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

3.0

sadiereadsagain's review against another edition

3.0

This is a short story collection, but "stories" isn't really the best thing to call her writing. It was more like short musings...almost like a really stoned Livejournal-er, but not as bargain bin as that sounds. She's an interesting writer. Sometimes her analogies are a little too hippy for me, but she's funny and interesting. I should look her up to see if she's got anything else published.

libraryslvt10000's review against another edition

5.0

This was the weirdest, most disgusting book I’ve ever read and I loved absolutely every second of it. I’ll probably read this over and over until I inevitably loan it out and never see it again.

davidwright's review against another edition

4.0

Recently I wrote this column for NoveList titled Wondrous Strange, all about these emerging and emerged surrealists and fabulists such as Kelly Link and Aimee Bender. I forgot to mention Trinie Dalton in this connection, whose short story collection Wide Eyed has been one of my favorite books in this not-a-genre. (My journey to this book was one of those wonderfully oblique paths, via Matthew Stokoe’s ultra-bleak noir High Life - a tremendous read, and my second favorite book involving ill-gotten human kidneys - which was published under Akashic Press’ Little House on the Bowery imprint, which also features Dalton’s totally different sort of book). Like Kelly Link only more so, Dalton beats the membrane between the fantastic and the real to airy thinness, inviting the reader in with a charming, ingenuous low-key candor. A story might start with suburban kids messing around, choreographing dance routines to Fleetwood Mac and Juice Newton, but somehow wind up discussing stepfathers, lobsters, and spermatozoa with Mick Jagger. Then there’s the story that begins with this great line: “My face is not exactly like two dogs humping, but it is just as fascinating and embarrassing.” Dalton keeps one eye on nature; there are a lot of animals here – mosquitoes and manatee, cats, crabs, and Chewbacca, or at least the kid who is Chewbacca in a childhood Star Wars fantasy. Sometimes nature returns the favor, like the hummingbird that gives her a mean look and something approximating a Billy Idol sneer. There are odd epistles between a disheartened woman and one of Santa’s elves, creepy dudes, slumber parties that go wrong, and large expanses of Nintendo Burgertime. Dalton’s territory seems to be between childhood and what comes after, a place where magic and wonder and banality and hurt are inextricably bound up with the logic of dreams, drugs, and dreary afternoons. I sure hope she writes more soon.

lisakdeng's review against another edition

4.0

Eccentric little trips.

sabernar's review against another edition

4.0

This is probably going to be the book that gets me interested in so-called Small Press books. I got this one in the Small Press section recommended by the little piece of paper stuck to the bookshelf with an employee's recommendation scrawled on it. It's easy reading, but it's very well written. It's a book of short stories of the author's life, but it's quirky and endearing, at times funny and serious. In few words, the author portrays herself with unusual clarity. Each story gives the reader another insight or two of the authors personality.

Addendum upon completion: I finished this book and I really really enjoyed it. This is another book that I am struggling with to assign an integer star rating. 4 stars? 5 stars? I rated [b:In Our Time|280111|Holy Bible|Various|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173381163s/280111.jpg|6405907] 4 stars (which I should probably bump to 5 stars). Is this book as good as that one? Hell no. But how much did I enjoy it? A lot. It was really fun to read and I looked forward to the next story to see what little tidbit of her life and personality she would expose to the reader. Rating a book on enjoyment vs. how good the book is a bit tricky. This book was very enjoyable and I liked it a lot. 4.5 stars maybe?

ekendall's review against another edition

I didn't hate this, but it was on its way to earning maybe 2.5 stars. I kept waiting to enjoy the stories, but I was just reading to get through them, so I gave it up. Oh, well.

earnestlilt's review

3.0

Wide-eyed meaning "naive and curious", and wide-eyed meaning "spiritual and fluid". And an exploration of how the first develops into the second. The book's groundless atmosphere reminds me of Simon Hanselmann's comics (found at girlmountain.tumblr.com), though less gritty.