Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Games and Rituals

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.

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christinesreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad 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

3.0

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natalieba's review

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I am so happy to have read an early copy of Games and Rituals by Katherine Heiny. I loved Early Morning Riser and really enjoy reading short stories, so I had high hopes for this collection. I was not disappointed! I think I enjoyed reading every single story, which must be some kind of new record for me - that never happens. I particularly enjoyed the first story (Chicken Flavored and Lemon Scented) about a woman whose job is to test new drivers for their licenses (yikes!) as well as the story titled 561, which is both humourous and heartbreaking - something I've found Heiny executes so well. All of her characters are so real - they all have flaws (many have LOTS of flaws - ha!), but all are sympathetic or relatable in some way. And her side characters are just a delight, which was something I really enjoyed about Early Morning Riser. I can't wait for others to pick this up and will be recommending it to all my short-story-loving friends.

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kateflood's review

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emotional funny reflective sad 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

4.0

Having read both of her short story collections I’d say it’s clear that Katherine Heiny has a talent for capturing relationships, both romantic and familial, in snapshots. I definitely enjoyed this collection, and though I wasn’t a massive fan of all of the stories I really adored some of them, specifically Twist and Shout, 561, and Turn Back, Turn Back. These stories all delivered such a gut punch that I felt like I was left reeling after reading them (in a good way).

I do feel like Heiny seems to have a tendency to focus her short stories on tales of WASP-y families and affairs so her writing can sometimes begin to feel a bit one-note, but then again she is so good at writing this sort of story that I can understand why she stays in this vein.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

lit_with_lauren's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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izzyf16's review against another edition

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4.0

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