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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
I seldom enjoy short stories. They feel like half-formed lumps of clay that the sculptor has only begun to shape, that just when the story starts to coalesce, you turn the page and it's over and here is another lump of clay to work with. These are loosely tied together through setting and a couple of references, and thematically are similar as well. But in the end I wish the author had just picked one and worked it into cohesion.
I listened to this story on Le Var Burton reads. Beautiful writing, narration, and audio background but I think most of the metaphors were lost on me.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Except for maybe one or two stories, I unfortunately didn’t “get” this book at all. It might be that (adult) magical realism just isn’t my thing - or maybe Johnson isn’t the writer for me.
I think Fen is a confident debut from a writer who can clearly write very well. However, I never entirely forgot that it was a debut, and sometimes Johnson makes her world so distant and strange that I couldn’t quite get a grasp on it.
Read my full review on my blog:
http://www.50ayear.com/2018/05/11/16-fen-by-daisy-johnson/
Read my full review on my blog:
http://www.50ayear.com/2018/05/11/16-fen-by-daisy-johnson/
This collection of short stories was definitely something different for me. Personally I found it very dark and strange, yet mystical at the same time. I felt that the entire fen was alive and that the people who lived there were under its control. Although there were some stories in which I struggled to understand the plot on but apart from that it was a good read.
Fen is a collection of short stories connected by desire, hunger and love. Each is suffused with beautiful language and an element of haunting magic realism that appears to want to express feelings so deep they can’t be put into language satisfactorily. For me, the strongest story was Starver, where a girl starves herself and becomes an eel after the town drains the land. Some of the stories later in the collection aren’t as strong as that one, but overall this is an excellent and atmospheric collection.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“She did not roll her white belly to message me goodbye or send a final ripple.
Only ducked deep and was gone.”
~
A collection of short stories, largely falling into the folk horror category. With a good amount of body horror and references to water, specifically canals and waterways (rather than the ocean).
Extremely atmospheric and creepy.
~
I really liked this short story collection. I enjoy folk horror and books with a water motif, plus I’m a fan of short stories in general so this was right up my street.
I think that I enjoyed “things we say in the dark” slightly more, they are both folk horror short story collections, however I did still really enjoy this and I am definitely going to read her other books.
She does a really great job creating a ominous atmosphere, my only point of improvement would be some of the stories feel slightly incomplete, still really enjoyed the writing style though and I will be interested to see how she translates this style into her other books.
~
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys folk horror, body horror and creepy books with fairytale and watery vibes. Also if you want to try a horror this would be a good starting point into the genre.
Only ducked deep and was gone.”
~
A collection of short stories, largely falling into the folk horror category. With a good amount of body horror and references to water, specifically canals and waterways (rather than the ocean).
Extremely atmospheric and creepy.
~
I really liked this short story collection. I enjoy folk horror and books with a water motif, plus I’m a fan of short stories in general so this was right up my street.
I think that I enjoyed “things we say in the dark” slightly more, they are both folk horror short story collections, however I did still really enjoy this and I am definitely going to read her other books.
She does a really great job creating a ominous atmosphere, my only point of improvement would be some of the stories feel slightly incomplete, still really enjoyed the writing style though and I will be interested to see how she translates this style into her other books.
~
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys folk horror, body horror and creepy books with fairytale and watery vibes. Also if you want to try a horror this would be a good starting point into the genre.
Surreal and magical, stunningly written short stories. I enjoyed the construction of them and the beautiful imagery Johnson used.