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liketheday's review
3.0
Another collection of short stories, this one endorsed by David Sedaris. These stories were much much different than those of The Littlest Hitler; they were much more serious and poignant, for the most part. Quite a few of the stories were funny, but they all had these really deep, really make-you-think sorts of endings. I would probably recommend this book, but you very much have to be in the right mood for it.
meghan111's review
3.0
This book and I had a date at the Korean Women's Spa this week. The stories I enjoyed most were the first two and then the later story told in the format of an advice column. The themes start to repeat themselves and I didn't enjoy the last two stories in the collection. Very similar in tone to the David Sedaris collection [b: Barrel Fever|4143|Barrel Fever|David Sedaris|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1439219385s/4143.jpg|731].
misssusan's review
4.0
i enjoyed this! i also kind of want to meet david sedaris now because he recommends this as the funniest set of stories he's ever read and if that's true he has a BIZARRE sense of humour and i'd like to hear more about it
i saw a couple of reviews that found this collection depressing which is interesting because a) i never felt that way and b) these stories feature matricide, rape, a serial killer, a false claim of sexual abuse, unhappy marriages, dysfunctional parenting...why on earth didn't i?
the answer i think is willett is a very assured writer who can write about terrible things in a matter of fact way that somehow renders them very clear and precise without being overwhelming?
i don't know guys, this just doesn't FEEL like a sad collection even though a catalogue of the plot indicates it would be. a case of the whole being much greater than the sum of it's parts?
also justine laughs at death a) reminded me of mr. fox by helen oyeyemi in a v. cool thematic way that someone ought to analyze and b) drops the mic on the entire genre of heterosexual male serial killers who murder women genre, everybody can stop writing it now, what else is there left to say
4 stars
i saw a couple of reviews that found this collection depressing which is interesting because a) i never felt that way and b) these stories feature matricide, rape, a serial killer, a false claim of sexual abuse, unhappy marriages, dysfunctional parenting...why on earth didn't i?
the answer i think is willett is a very assured writer who can write about terrible things in a matter of fact way that somehow renders them very clear and precise without being overwhelming?
i don't know guys, this just doesn't FEEL like a sad collection even though a catalogue of the plot indicates it would be. a case of the whole being much greater than the sum of it's parts?
also justine laughs at death a) reminded me of mr. fox by helen oyeyemi in a v. cool thematic way that someone ought to analyze and b) drops the mic on the entire genre of heterosexual male serial killers who murder women genre, everybody can stop writing it now, what else is there left to say
4 stars
mhall's review
3.0
This book and I had a date at the Korean Women's Spa this week. The stories I enjoyed most were the first two and then the later story told in the format of an advice column. The themes start to repeat themselves and I didn't enjoy the last two stories in the collection. Very similar in tone to the David Sedaris collection [b: Barrel Fever|4143|Barrel Fever|David Sedaris|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1439219385s/4143.jpg|731].
mattstebbins's review
3.0
Vahid recommended this after Sedaris' recommendation... and being at Powell, I of course - being both a fan of Vahid's recommendations and David Sedaris - had to give it a try. Willett has a knack for lines such as this, the close to 'Jaws of Life'-
“So here is where I am so far, and this is all I know: the world is a big sardine can, and some of us are too agreeable for words. Most of us, really.”
- but I found most of her stories altogether depressingly accurate, but without Sedaris' well-placed comic levity. Still, well-written shorts, if you don't mind being a bit bummed.
“So here is where I am so far, and this is all I know: the world is a big sardine can, and some of us are too agreeable for words. Most of us, really.”
- but I found most of her stories altogether depressingly accurate, but without Sedaris' well-placed comic levity. Still, well-written shorts, if you don't mind being a bit bummed.
jwmcoaching's review
3.0
As usual, Jincy Willett is absolutely infuriating. Her novels that I've read have been brilliant (Winner of the National Book Award), but also awful (The Writing Class). This collection is much the same way. There are a few great stories here (My Father, at the Wheel, The Best of Betty, Mr. Lazenbee, The Jaws of Life), but there are even more that are either downright terrible or just okay. Sometimes you thrill at the brilliance of a story, while other times, you just want to throw the book at the wall. Such are the treasures and travails of reading Ms. Willett.
anatomydetective's review
2.0
The first few stories are pretty strong, but it goes downhill from there. I'd try another book by Ms. Willett, but I don't see myself rereading this one or passing it on to a friend.
hyzenthlay76's review
2.0
Overall this was just okay, with "My Father at the Wheel" among the best short stories I've ever read, "The Haunting of the Linguards," "Anticipatory Grief" and "Under the Bed" being really good, and the remainder uneven. There were several I skipped because they were more stylistic experiments than stories.