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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
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
On various levels, this is an amazing collection. From concepts to characters to diction (we do love diction), Oyeyemi is extremely skilled at controlling a story. However, I did have some issues with the works in this collection:
I think this is a better collection when you find out that it's overlapping; the characters float story to story as cameos or actual players in the plot, and this is something I find to help justify the choppy stories themselves.
I feel like in the longer stories, Oyeyemi introduces so much, only to have the bulk of the plot kick in halfway through and finish there without much tying up. I mean, she does tie up plotlines, but it's like certain things are supposed to lump together that I personally did not/do not catch. Almost none of the stories left me satisfied, but not in a way that felt purposeful.
This is why I say that the extended universe works really well and is almost the only thing saving this from a 2 star from me; with characters and settings popping in and out of each short story there was a connection and not full stops at the ends. You're aware that these characters are still growing, thriving, suffering, etc. elsewhere at any given moment you're in the text, so when things aren't tied up as aforementioned, it isn't the worst.
My favorite story is "is your blood as red as this?" even though it falls victim to a lot of what I've said above. I can't help but love Oyeyemi's writing regardless of my criticism lol.
I think this is a better collection when you find out that it's overlapping; the characters float story to story as cameos or actual players in the plot, and this is something I find to help justify the choppy stories themselves.
I feel like in the longer stories, Oyeyemi introduces so much, only to have the bulk of the plot kick in halfway through and finish there without much tying up. I mean, she does tie up plotlines, but it's like certain things are supposed to lump together that I personally did not/do not catch. Almost none of the stories left me satisfied, but not in a way that felt purposeful.
This is why I say that the extended universe works really well and is almost the only thing saving this from a 2 star from me; with characters and settings popping in and out of each short story there was a connection and not full stops at the ends. You're aware that these characters are still growing, thriving, suffering, etc. elsewhere at any given moment you're in the text, so when things aren't tied up as aforementioned, it isn't the worst.
My favorite story is "is your blood as red as this?" even though it falls victim to a lot of what I've said above. I can't help but love Oyeyemi's writing regardless of my criticism lol.
What a strangely decadent book, with creepily intertwined stories jumping back and forth in time and place. It felt like wandering an art installation with different rooms connected by the same thread. There's so much poetry in how Ms Oyeyemi writes, I felt simultaneously spoiled and deserving.
I love it when short stories blend into one another. Admittedly, sometimes I didn't get the punchline, but overall this was a solid short story collection with a nice diverse feeling to it.
I read Mr. Fox a few years ago, and found it to be good and inventive, although not entirely to my tastes. I also tried Boy, Snow, Bird, but didn't get very far into it. This book proved to be an entirely different experience. I loved this. I found it to be staggeringly good. My only qualms are that I would've liked a little more in some of the stories, which seemed to end a bit prematurely or to lack a few details that would've completed things for the reader, but I'm sure part of that is attributable either to lack of proper attention on my part or the author's intent to leave things somewhat unsaid. Please give this a read, it really lives up to all of the good reviews. A Kpop reference is a plot point in one of the stories! God, what more could you even ask for.
Just really couldn’t get into it. Hard to follow.
Oyeyemi has become one of my favorite authors. This collectio and the delicious unexpected relationships the stories have is yet another reason why.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated