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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I borrowed this from the library and read it in 2 days, pausing halfway through to purchase and download the Kindle edition for easier underlining and frequent re-reads. These nine stories are all somehow about locks and keys--the key to a garden, an identity, a book, a library, a life (or more than one). The characters are from everywhere, Africa, the Middle East, the United Kingdom, and they all, Black, white, brown, mix together in straight and queer relationships that span stories and decades without being specifically related. For example, if you read closely you find that the teenage Dayang, wise older sister of the suffering Aisha* in "'Sorry' Does't Sweeten Her Tea", is herself the college student protagonist of "A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society", but it isn't necessary to connect the two stories to enjoy either. Each piece stands alone, exquisite and unique. Still, encountering previously seen characters is as welcome as meeting old friends.
Many reviewers name the first story, "Books and Roses", as their favorite, and after reading it I thought I would, too. But as I went on, I found that other stories were just as compelling, and perhaps benefited from being more accessible. I don't mind doing some heavy lifting with my literature, but I like to have a clearer understanding of what's beneath it all afterward. I got that from the aforementioned "Homely Wench Society", which is a fun little romp relative to the rest of the book, and "Drownings", a story so rich in fairy tale imagery that I still don't know where to place it relative to--anything. "Presence" isn't my favorite, but it broke my heart and made me weep with near-perfect happiness.
I suspect that sometime in the next few days I'll be re-reading "Books and Roses", hoping that time and context enriches it (and that, if so, the richness isn't overwhelming). That said, I'm declaring "If a Book is Locked There's Probably a Good Reason For That Don't You Think" to be my favorite. It also made me weep with joy, but minus the heartbreak this time.
*Aisha reappears as a grown woman with a story of her own in "Freddy Barrandov Checks...In?"
Many reviewers name the first story, "Books and Roses", as their favorite, and after reading it I thought I would, too. But as I went on, I found that other stories were just as compelling, and perhaps benefited from being more accessible. I don't mind doing some heavy lifting with my literature, but I like to have a clearer understanding of what's beneath it all afterward. I got that from the aforementioned "Homely Wench Society", which is a fun little romp relative to the rest of the book, and "Drownings", a story so rich in fairy tale imagery that I still don't know where to place it relative to--anything. "Presence" isn't my favorite, but it broke my heart and made me weep with near-perfect happiness.
I suspect that sometime in the next few days I'll be re-reading "Books and Roses", hoping that time and context enriches it (and that, if so, the richness isn't overwhelming). That said, I'm declaring "If a Book is Locked There's Probably a Good Reason For That Don't You Think" to be my favorite. It also made me weep with joy, but minus the heartbreak this time.
*Aisha reappears as a grown woman with a story of her own in "Freddy Barrandov Checks...In?"
What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours raccoglie nove racconti che ruotano attorno a chiavi e serrature. Leggerli è come perdersi in una biblioteca e trovare un giardino, sono scatole dentro scatole, a volte cominci in un posto e finisci da tutt'altra parte.
Come non menzionare lo stile? Sa essere elegante mischiando informale ed elaborato. Nasconde qualcosa: qual è il segreto per muoversi così agilmente tra i due estremi? Ne va della chiarezza, ma vale sicuramente la pena rileggere.
I racconti più chiari sono Sorry Doesn't Sweeten Her Tea e A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society. I più belli sono Books and Roses, Drownings e If a Book Is Locked There's Probably a Good Reason for That Don't You Think. I dettagli che ricorderò: il finale di Drownings, la House of Locks di Sorry Doesn't Sweeten Her Tea.
- Books and Roses: ****
- Sorry Doesn't Sweeten Her Tea: ****
- Is Your Blood as Red as This?: ***
- Drownings: ***
- Presence: ****
- A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society: ****
- Dornička and the St. Martin's Day Goose: ***
- Freddy Barrandov Checks … In?: ***-
- If a Book Is Locked There’s Probably a Good Reason for That Don’t You Think: ****
Come non menzionare lo stile? Sa essere elegante mischiando informale ed elaborato. Nasconde qualcosa: qual è il segreto per muoversi così agilmente tra i due estremi? Ne va della chiarezza, ma vale sicuramente la pena rileggere.
I racconti più chiari sono Sorry Doesn't Sweeten Her Tea e A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society. I più belli sono Books and Roses, Drownings e If a Book Is Locked There's Probably a Good Reason for That Don't You Think. I dettagli che ricorderò: il finale di Drownings, la House of Locks di Sorry Doesn't Sweeten Her Tea.
- Books and Roses: ****
- Sorry Doesn't Sweeten Her Tea: ****
- Is Your Blood as Red as This?: ***
- Drownings: ***
- Presence: ****
- A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society: ****
- Dornička and the St. Martin's Day Goose: ***
- Freddy Barrandov Checks … In?: ***-
- If a Book Is Locked There’s Probably a Good Reason for That Don’t You Think: ****
A slow read- I often got lost in the extended metaphors and rambling plot. But overall found it refreshing. Funny, puzzle-like, and delightfully unique in form.
This was hard to rate as some stories were definitely better than others. I think it can be tough in short stories to create something that has a world, characters, and story that are all interesting in such a short interval. While Oyeyemi certainly succeeded on some of those aspects, there wasn't a single story that had all three.
1. books and roses: This story had an interesting premise but I think its short length hindered the execution. I wanted to learn more about how these two stories and lives wove together but they were just sort of slammed into each other.
2. "sorry" doesn't sweeten her tea: This story was a little stronger in how the two tales connected. It was an okay story, but not super exciting. I think I just didn't believe the weird fandom angle, which provided the progression of the story.
3. is your blood as red as this? : I am still processing this one. I don't think I really understood the deal with the puppets vs. humans, but obviously Oyeyemi was tied to this story as many of its characters make cameos in other tales.
4. drownings : I think this one of the best stories in the book, as it really tied in the overall theme of keys strongly. It also reminded me of a classic Arabian Nights : tale with kings and legends. The parallel stories really wove together well here and I like that the ending was comforting in a hero-story kind of way.
5. presence : This certainly was an interesting premise. I think I would have to read it at least another time to grasp the importance of this process on the characters. I think I liked it...but I didn't like the "baby message" towards the end.
6. a brief history of the homely wench society : This one got off to a rocky start with the email-style opening but it grew on me towards the end. I like that it was just a nice, casual story without a big climax or plot twist.
7. dornicka and the st. martin's day goose : Out of all of the stories, this was the most like a classic folk tale. It was just playful and creepy enough. One of my favorites from the series.
8. freddy barrandov checks...in? : This had the best setting of any of the stories. The ending was a bit abrupt or lackluster, much like the rest of the collection, but I really enjoyed the small anecdote of the man in the payphone.
9. if a book is locked there's probably a good reason for that don't you think?: This was another story that I don't think I totally understood. It was interesting, but lost me a bit at the end.
This was an interesting series of stories, although I think I'm just not attracted to Oyeyemi's writing style. She has a knack for creating interesting, although somewhat charmless characters but the plots are either random or anticlimactic. This collection is definitely meant to be more like commentary that storytelling, but I prefer the later.
1. books and roses: This story had an interesting premise but I think its short length hindered the execution. I wanted to learn more about how these two stories and lives wove together but they were just sort of slammed into each other.
2. "sorry" doesn't sweeten her tea: This story was a little stronger in how the two tales connected. It was an okay story, but not super exciting. I think I just didn't believe the weird fandom angle, which provided the progression of the story.
3. is your blood as red as this? : I am still processing this one. I don't think I really understood the deal with the puppets vs. humans, but obviously Oyeyemi was tied to this story as many of its characters make cameos in other tales.
4. drownings : I think this one of the best stories in the book, as it really tied in the overall theme of keys strongly. It also reminded me of a classic Arabian Nights : tale with kings and legends. The parallel stories really wove together well here and I like that the ending was comforting in a hero-story kind of way.
5. presence : This certainly was an interesting premise. I think I would have to read it at least another time to grasp the importance of this process on the characters. I think I liked it...but I didn't like the "baby message" towards the end.
6. a brief history of the homely wench society : This one got off to a rocky start with the email-style opening but it grew on me towards the end. I like that it was just a nice, casual story without a big climax or plot twist.
7. dornicka and the st. martin's day goose : Out of all of the stories, this was the most like a classic folk tale. It was just playful and creepy enough. One of my favorites from the series.
8. freddy barrandov checks...in? : This had the best setting of any of the stories. The ending was a bit abrupt or lackluster, much like the rest of the collection, but I really enjoyed the small anecdote of the man in the payphone.
9. if a book is locked there's probably a good reason for that don't you think?: This was another story that I don't think I totally understood. It was interesting, but lost me a bit at the end.
This was an interesting series of stories, although I think I'm just not attracted to Oyeyemi's writing style. She has a knack for creating interesting, although somewhat charmless characters but the plots are either random or anticlimactic. This collection is definitely meant to be more like commentary that storytelling, but I prefer the later.
Beautiful and haunting at the same time. Wonderful collection of surrealist, magical stories featuring LGBT characters in a non-extraordinary way. Absolutely adore this book and have read it twice through.
I love Helen Oyeyemi's subtly weird style, and the interconnected stories in this collection are fascinating. Reminded me of one of my all time favorite short story collections, Kate Atkinson's Not the End of the World.
These stories are ethereal- begging you for more. A lovely queer collection of feminist magical realism. I have never read anything quite like it before and want more! All the stories revolve around a common theme of keys but each story is from different corners of the world set in different times. Many of these stories have interwoven characters so you see them grow up. I wish I could tell you which story was my favorite one but I can't because they all have been incredible. I havent slept for 2 nights because I was up reading it from cover to cover. Seriously if you want to read about strange, wonderful, people and creatures that bend reality and dream- read this book.
3.75. This is a collection of creative and beautiful writing. And while I really loved a few of the stories and liked the little ways that they were all connected, I didn't totally "get" many of them. I liked reading them but wasn't always left with much at the end. But I think I would recommend them as an odd and enjoyable read.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A weird and challenging read. I had mixed reactions to the short stories, and one of the longer ones almost caused me to DNF this. There was a lot left unsaid and it felt difficult to read between the lines at certain points. I’m glad I stuck with it, but it was a strange book