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lucyduller's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a short story collection I’ve had gathering dust on my shelf for about a year, possibly even longer.
There are eleven short stories in this book by Katherine Heiny, the first book I’ve read by her.
I am usually quite keen on short stories as they can feel like vignettes into different lives and stories. I found it hard to get stuck into this one, I really wanted to lose myself in a book about one story and the first two stories I found boring, so it sat on my bedside table for a few weeks.
However, there are some real gems in this book. My particular favourites were
- Twist and Shout
- Turn Back, Turn Back
- 561
Twist and Shout is a story about a woman who now has to look after her aging father and starts with him eating his hearing aid because he thinks its a cashew. She resents her father as they have very different political views, he is a Fox News watching climate change denier, and she is not. However, the last page is on the third slide and it was so special.
Turn Back, Turn Back took me on a rollercoaster and I think was my favourite story out of all of them. It’s about mother discovering her husband’s affair by her daughter’s reaction to a fairytale. It felt like I was right there with her.
561 is about a woman having to bond with her husband’s ex-wife, and how they had spent some significant life moments with one another, despite hating each other.
I loved how all of the stories had interweaving themes and links and you could probably draw a diagram linking them all. Overall, they were good stories, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Death of parent
aliciawithoutkeys's review against another edition
medium-paced
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Eating disorder and Alcohol
peachani's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual harassment, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting
bjlinard's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide
Minor: Fatphobia and Eating disorder
bella_cavicchi's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Katherine Heiny's writing is like chocolate for the literary soul: rich and sweet and something I could easily devour for days. Save for the last story (which landed on a weird note for me!), this collection is utter perfection, capturing the many varied layers to love and life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Drug use and Fatphobia
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