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jcoco1445's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
mjr313's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a lovely book of short stories reflecting in often surprising ways on the ever-present concept of foreignness. It starts with a clear exploration of this topic- a woman from Lebanon who fails to assimilate to California and in the process becomes foreign even from her own children. It ends with a story of three nationless sailors who, trapped on a desolate island, are foreign even between themselves. I devoured this book in two sittings and will be looking for this author’s name in the future.
jsavage35's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
I really loved Ramona Ausubel's writing in this. Even though the stories were short, I was really drawn in to most of them and felt for the characters. I will definitely be picking up more from this author.
I really loved Ramona Ausubel's writing in this. Even though the stories were short, I was really drawn in to most of them and felt for the characters. I will definitely be picking up more from this author.
toffishay's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
My favorite stories were "Fresh Water from the Sea", "Template for a Proclamation to Save the Species", "Remedy", "High Desert", and "The Animal Mummies Wish to Thank the Following."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Racism and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual harassment
sarahlopod's review against another edition
3.0
(This review can also be found on my blog.)
cw: suicide, familial death, incest, pedophilia
Where she had once been a precise oil painting, now she was a watercolor.
I've been looking forward to this for a while. I've been really into short story collections, particularly """weird""" ones, for a while now and had Awayland on my TBR for a couple months prior to its release. I was actually stoked when I opened up my library copy and realized that Ramona had also written A Guide to Being Born, which has been on my TBR for ages and just looks gorgeous and great.
She grew up with the feeling that children must simply appear, unbidden. Who would want to make any more of them? It was as if they hatched in some dirty, neglected corner like so many baby cockroaches and the grown-ups had had no choice but to try to raise them.
This particular collection was sorted into four sections, each with its highs and lows. I had a couple I vibed with particularly strongly and others that didn't really stand out to me. I'll list the sections, stories, and individual ratings below:
I remember being sixteen and feeling so in love with my friends that it seemed like they would be enough to sustain me for the rest of time.
A. Bay of Hungers
You Can Find Love Now ⭐⭐⭐
Fresh Water from the Sea ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Template for a Proclamation to Save the Species ⭐⭐⭐⭐
B. The Cape of Persistent Hope
Mother Land ⭐⭐⭐
Departure Lounge ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Remedy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
C. The Lonesome Flats
Club Zeus ⭐⭐⭐
High Desert ⭐⭐⭐
Heaven ⭐⭐
D. The Dream Isles
The Animal Mummies Wish to Thank the Following ⭐⭐
Do Not Save the Ferocious, Save the Tender ⭐⭐
She was too tired now, too worn through to love anyone back.
My average rating was 3.32 stars, which I rounded down to 3. As you can see I had a few favorites toward the beginning but the second half fell a bit flat for me. I still recommend this book, particularly to lovers of literary fiction, and I'm looking forward to picking up more of Ramona's work!
cw: suicide, familial death, incest, pedophilia
Where she had once been a precise oil painting, now she was a watercolor.
I've been looking forward to this for a while. I've been really into short story collections, particularly """weird""" ones, for a while now and had Awayland on my TBR for a couple months prior to its release. I was actually stoked when I opened up my library copy and realized that Ramona had also written A Guide to Being Born, which has been on my TBR for ages and just looks gorgeous and great.
She grew up with the feeling that children must simply appear, unbidden. Who would want to make any more of them? It was as if they hatched in some dirty, neglected corner like so many baby cockroaches and the grown-ups had had no choice but to try to raise them.
This particular collection was sorted into four sections, each with its highs and lows. I had a couple I vibed with particularly strongly and others that didn't really stand out to me. I'll list the sections, stories, and individual ratings below:
I remember being sixteen and feeling so in love with my friends that it seemed like they would be enough to sustain me for the rest of time.
A. Bay of Hungers
You Can Find Love Now ⭐⭐⭐
Fresh Water from the Sea ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Template for a Proclamation to Save the Species ⭐⭐⭐⭐
B. The Cape of Persistent Hope
Mother Land ⭐⭐⭐
Departure Lounge ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Remedy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
C. The Lonesome Flats
Club Zeus ⭐⭐⭐
High Desert ⭐⭐⭐
Heaven ⭐⭐
D. The Dream Isles
The Animal Mummies Wish to Thank the Following ⭐⭐
Do Not Save the Ferocious, Save the Tender ⭐⭐
She was too tired now, too worn through to love anyone back.
My average rating was 3.32 stars, which I rounded down to 3. As you can see I had a few favorites toward the beginning but the second half fell a bit flat for me. I still recommend this book, particularly to lovers of literary fiction, and I'm looking forward to picking up more of Ramona's work!
laurynreads's review
4.0
I’m begrudgingly giving this book four stars. Obvi I didn’t love all the stories equally, especially the ones in the last section, but that happens in short story collections. Something that really bothered me was the author’s use of “foreign” or insistence on showcasing how unsafe characters felt in other countries, while at the same time exoticizing the people and place they’re in. It felt like an endorsed viewpoint, not a shortcoming, in my opinion, and it really took me out of stories. That being said, there are still some stunning stories in here that I really really enjoyed and Ausubel’s brand of weird aligns with mine—I could just do without all the othering.
tasharobinson's review against another edition
4.0
First time reading this author, and her short stories left me without much idea of what to expect from her novels — there's magical realism here, and mainstream family drama, and outright fantasy, and it was pretty intriguing heading into each new story without any idea of which genre any given story would be. My favorite is probably the opening story, "You Can Find Love Now," where a mythical cyclops fills out a dating profile promising to hold back on the imprisonments and devourings. It just seems like such an apt metaphor for later-in-life relationships, and all the things we hold back or hide to make connections.
Some of the others, though, just seemed a little whimsical in an arbitrary way, like the one about the Minnesota mayor who decides to combat his town's low birth rate by declaring a sex holiday, and awarding a car to whoever has the first baby born nine months after that day. Or "Mother Land," about a woman who goes to Africa with a white African (referred to solely as "the African"), where various incidents occur that don't add up to much. "Remedy," about a woman who becomes obsessed with her own death, and wants her hand grafted onto her lover's wrist, is much stronger — the characterization is warm and sympathetic, but it's also alarming as the reader picks up on what's likely to happen. It's like a magical-realism "Gift of the Magi," where both parties are sacrificing each other, but not communicating, in ways that don't serve anyone.
Some of the others, though, just seemed a little whimsical in an arbitrary way, like the one about the Minnesota mayor who decides to combat his town's low birth rate by declaring a sex holiday, and awarding a car to whoever has the first baby born nine months after that day. Or "Mother Land," about a woman who goes to Africa with a white African (referred to solely as "the African"), where various incidents occur that don't add up to much. "Remedy," about a woman who becomes obsessed with her own death, and wants her hand grafted onto her lover's wrist, is much stronger — the characterization is warm and sympathetic, but it's also alarming as the reader picks up on what's likely to happen. It's like a magical-realism "Gift of the Magi," where both parties are sacrificing each other, but not communicating, in ways that don't serve anyone.
micah_celeste's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Very strange set of linked but not sequential short stories. Devastatingly beautiful & often somber. Tore through it in just 2 days.
Content Warnings
Minor: Medical content
s4ufos's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book for an early creative writing class that focused on short stories. Like all assigned reading, there is a sense of obligation attached to it. However, despite this fact, I still really enjoyed reading it.
This book is a collection of short stories. Some are unusual, some are heart warming, and others just pull you in until the end. Either way, this was the first collection of short stories I’ve read by the same author and it was an enjoyable experience.
Would I read this entire book again? Probably not, but there are some stories I would go back to re-read.
This book is a collection of short stories. Some are unusual, some are heart warming, and others just pull you in until the end. Either way, this was the first collection of short stories I’ve read by the same author and it was an enjoyable experience.
Would I read this entire book again? Probably not, but there are some stories I would go back to re-read.