Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Everybody Dies Famous in a Small Town

I like Hitchcock's work and loved how she made the stories so interconnected. I wish the book had been longer because it feels like the stories were just little samples, not a full meal. I definitely can't wait to read more from Hitchcock.

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isabel_np's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town is a set of interconnected short stories (or maybe a novel in vignettes?) set in small towns in the American west and Alaska. Characters from one story often appear as the main character of a subsequent story. Some of the themes were heavy - sexual abuse of children, grief, wildfires, the weight of parental expectations, coming out, mental health and more. And yet despite this the book really didn’t feel heavy, possibly because the format prevented us from going deep with any character or dwelling on their issues. Having grown up in a small town, albeit not in America, I could definitely relate to the small town vibe. In many ways this is an understated book, one where the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

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wilfsmeath's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in only 2 days which is impressive for me as a new reader and someone who has also read at a snails pace my entire life due to finding reading somewhat challenging. it is told in a collection of short stories (all interlinked) which is why it feels fast to read. it is a bit tricky to get attached to the main characters when they are each in a maximum of 2 chapters- some are only in 1 but saying that, having a diverse range of characters is refreshing. it isn’t necessarily a sad book but it has a sad outlook and seems written in a somewhat melancholic way, however there are certainly funny moments and lighthearted characters. there isn’t really a strong plot if that is your thing but in my opinion there doesn’t need to be one. the characters carry the book and the short stories give insight into the complexity of other people’s lives and the way that people can be interlinked in a way that you would never expect. the name is fitting as the book is a sensory experience !! it covers some heavy topics but in a lighthearted way that may help some people who struggle with the topics read about them without having to go into triggering detail. definitely a great filler-read when you want to get through a quick book on holiday or in between longer books. would recommend :)

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apricot_skull's review against another edition

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fast-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

4.0

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nickoliver's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

This was a collection of short stories, but ones that were interconnected with each other in one way or another. For example, one story would be about a girl, and then the next about her sister. Or her best friend. And there were certain characters that were focal points in some stories and mentioned in passing in others. I listened to this on audiobook, and I think I might've seen the connections a bit more closely if I'd read it physically, just because I wasn't always 100% conscious of the characters' names. However, I really did like the way the stories were interwoven! It made it a lot more interesting, tbh.

I really enjoyed Hitchcock's writing and got really invested in the characters' lives. I did, in some stories, wish I got a bit of a satisfying ending, but I also knew that it wasn't unusual for short stories to not offer that, so it didn't make me mad or annoyed or anything. I definitely want to read more by this author! I would advise you to check out the trigger warnings before going into the book, though. There was a lot about sexual abuse of children in some stories, particularly sexual abuse by religious leaders.

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gladiator_fox's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

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papercraftalex's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

Overall review: Hitchcock has created a masterpiece short-story collection. She is so great at characterization that every single one of them feels unbelievably real. She’s also amazing at capturing small town environments and all the hidden things within them. All the stories weave together in ways I truly did not expect but were complete perfection. The writing style is raw and honest with hints of lyricism. I absolutely recommend it to everyone interested in slice-of-life stories. You can see my (rambly) reviews of individual stories below with content warnings. If one story has content that triggers you, you can still get a lot out of the collection, but you might miss the easter egg references.

Angry Starfish: 5 stars, great visualization, truly captures grief, I really enjoyed it. CW: grief, death of a parent

Pigeon Creek: 4 stars, I didn’t realize the stories were connected, her writing is so realistic, this was very dramatic like watching a car crash (lmao), plays with the senses. CW: car crash, sex, infidelity, alcohol

Sea Shaken Houses: 5 stars, this is absolutely my favorite so far, so much imagery, the characterization was beautiful, great plot *chef’s kiss* I want more, I love Jane. CW: body horror, death, sexual assault

Parking Lot Flowers: 4.5 stars, this one was a lot darker, easy to feel the characters emotions, tells an entire story in such a short story. CW: sexual assault, homophobia

The Right Kind of People: 5 stars, so good and dark and fiery. Amazing wordsmithing, gross and gritty like the subject at hand. CW: sexual assault, sexual content

Basketball Town: 4.75 stars, I love how the stories are weaved together, this was a great way to show familial pressure, I wish it was longer to make the story as fully fleshed as the others. CW: sexism, anti-native racism

Alaska Was Wasted on Us: 4 stars, this one felt a bit more juvenile than the rest but it did make my heart race with suspense. CW: mild child missing

The Stranger in the Woods: 4.5 stars still not as deep or fleshed out as the earlier ones, but still overall really good at analyzing relationships and the hidden things in small towns, specifically trust and gossip. Also, the connections are so good, the one didn’t hit me until after I finished and I literally gasped. CW: child murder, possible adult/minor relationship

There’s Gas in the Tank, Louise!: 5 stars, this literally made me cry, it is so emotional. I love the unreliable narrator and I think the way it was done was amazing. This was a good story to wrap up the collection. CW: drugs, child death

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