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sullyisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A strong collection of short stories. I took a break just about mid-way through to space out one half of the stories from the other. I think as a whole I prefer the first half, although that isn't to say the second half of stories in the collection are bad - to the contrary, they're great, although I found their endings lacking.
I do have a saying though that it's better to have a bad ending than a good one. After all, if you liked the story being over, what does that say for the rest of the story?
I do have a saying though that it's better to have a bad ending than a good one. After all, if you liked the story being over, what does that say for the rest of the story?
efroggatt's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ari_ash13's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
mayleen_abernati's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
realsillyb's review against another edition
3.0
a nice collection but i think only three were based in Greek myth? a couple of these stories were nice and well-written but the description is misleading. i probably wouldn’t have picked this one up otherwise
jackmarquis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.0
scste16's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Dark collection of short stories. Easy to dip in and out. The Mother’s Story was the strongest, and most engaging in my view, although harrowing. I thought The Quiet Limit of the World, a retelling/reworking if Tithonus and Eos, also was excellent. Certain of the others felt a bit unfinished.
tulipflowcrs's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
shoutaboutbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Most of us probably know Haddon as the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, a staple in school libraries and a rare children’s book that’s survived my biannual bookshelf unhauls. Though I own a copy of his 2019 novel, The Porpoise, Dogs and Monsters was my introduction to his adult fiction and, long story short, I loved it.
In these stories, Haddon expertly weaves mythology with modernity, exposing the perennial flaws and failings of human nature. Though most of my favourites from the collection are the ones based on myth (shocking), these are the minority, with most stories being grounded in more recognisable times. From private boarding schools, to research facilties and fallout bunkers, motifs of patriarchy, injustice and animalism rise again and again.
STANDOUTS:
• The Mother’s Story: The first story in the collection reframes the Minotaur myth in feudal/pastoral England, and we see a father’s cruelty meet its match in a mother’s devotion. It offers a peaceful new ending to Pasiphaë and Asterion (renamed Paul, objectively quite funny).
• D.O.G.Z: At first this story seems to be a retelling of the goddess Artemis’ transformation of Actaeon (Haddon switches to the Roman version, naming the goddess as Diana), told in visceral detail from Actaeon’s POV. As this comes to its brutal close, the story morphs into a rumination on the hunter’s dogs - now imbued with their master’s ‘glimpse of the divine’, and what that means for their descendents.
• The Wilderness: A v Black Mirror entry in the collection. Rescued by a stranger after an accident, Tegan wakes up in a remote, high-security research compound. As she discovers things about the facility she shouldn’t have, she’s left wondering whether she’s been made a test subject or if she’s finally losing herself to the grief she was trying to catch up to.
In these stories, Haddon expertly weaves mythology with modernity, exposing the perennial flaws and failings of human nature. Though most of my favourites from the collection are the ones based on myth (shocking), these are the minority, with most stories being grounded in more recognisable times. From private boarding schools, to research facilties and fallout bunkers, motifs of patriarchy, injustice and animalism rise again and again.
STANDOUTS:
• The Mother’s Story: The first story in the collection reframes the Minotaur myth in feudal/pastoral England, and we see a father’s cruelty meet its match in a mother’s devotion. It offers a peaceful new ending to Pasiphaë and Asterion (renamed Paul, objectively quite funny).
• D.O.G.Z: At first this story seems to be a retelling of the goddess Artemis’ transformation of Actaeon (Haddon switches to the Roman version, naming the goddess as Diana), told in visceral detail from Actaeon’s POV. As this comes to its brutal close, the story morphs into a rumination on the hunter’s dogs - now imbued with their master’s ‘glimpse of the divine’, and what that means for their descendents.
• The Wilderness: A v Black Mirror entry in the collection. Rescued by a stranger after an accident, Tegan wakes up in a remote, high-security research compound. As she discovers things about the facility she shouldn’t have, she’s left wondering whether she’s been made a test subject or if she’s finally losing herself to the grief she was trying to catch up to.