Scan barcode
lamentconfiguration's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
Love and sorrow dance together in every one of these delightful stories, an emotional cocktail that both wrecked and soothed me. I am so grateful for the nonhuman POVs, but even the human ones struck me as relatable in ways that resonated with the nonhuman parts of me. I could read stories by this author forever and not grow weary, I think.
k_wright's review against another edition
4.0
- Reminds a lot of David Foster Wallace, stylistically and pacing wise; very different in terms of personification, however
- Appreciated the breadth of characters/backgrounds from which they come, as well as the origin and direction of the stories.
- Appreciated the breadth of characters/backgrounds from which they come, as well as the origin and direction of the stories.
atlas_snuggled's review against another edition
4.0
I love short stories. I preface this review with that confession, because I think that you have to love obscure short stories in order to love this collection. I am a seasoned reader of short stories, cherishing Murakami's The Elephant Vanishes, and Jonathan Lethem's The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye. Both of these share much with the stories from I Am an Executioner: Love Stories.
These stories are "Love Stories." They are not "happy ending, feel good" stories. They are tragic. That is the only way to describe them. As with Murakami and Lethem, you cannot expect Parameswaran to give you clear cut resolution to each story. You cannot even expect an entire plotline. But where some stories appear to be mere fragments, others are developed enough to form the basis for a novel of their own. Again, similar to Lethem and Murakami.
But let me focus on Parameswaran alone for a moment - comparison detracts from his own talent, itself highly deserving of recognition. Each story recounts the tale of a different set of characters - from tigers, to people, to aliens. The human characters hail from different cultures, different backgrounds, and even invented societies and locations. Each has their own tragedy, their own vice, their own flaws, and Parameswaran very cleverly embraces these flaws, and puts them on display for the reader. You don't always love his flawed heroes. And you're not supposed to. The perspective changes from story to story, and some are more abstract than others - for example, The 3 Rajeshes is told from the perspective of a man in a painting, whose story is being invented by the imagination of the purchaser of the painting. It's obscure. But Parameswaran manages to make it believable and relatable.
The one star is deducted only because the obscurity could go too far at times, and there was a disconnect of the last three or four stories that wasn't present at the beginning. It felt as though these last few stories weren't meant for this book. The themes are certainly similar, and there's no doubt they follow the same vein, but I guess it felt as though the stories, and their obscurity, were forced. Not a terrible critique, but it diminished the experience somewhat.
These stories will not give you a warm and fuzzy feeling. But they are thought-provoking, creative and well-written. Worth every minute I spent reading them.
These stories are "Love Stories." They are not "happy ending, feel good" stories. They are tragic. That is the only way to describe them. As with Murakami and Lethem, you cannot expect Parameswaran to give you clear cut resolution to each story. You cannot even expect an entire plotline. But where some stories appear to be mere fragments, others are developed enough to form the basis for a novel of their own. Again, similar to Lethem and Murakami.
But let me focus on Parameswaran alone for a moment - comparison detracts from his own talent, itself highly deserving of recognition. Each story recounts the tale of a different set of characters - from tigers, to people, to aliens. The human characters hail from different cultures, different backgrounds, and even invented societies and locations. Each has their own tragedy, their own vice, their own flaws, and Parameswaran very cleverly embraces these flaws, and puts them on display for the reader. You don't always love his flawed heroes. And you're not supposed to. The perspective changes from story to story, and some are more abstract than others - for example, The 3 Rajeshes is told from the perspective of a man in a painting, whose story is being invented by the imagination of the purchaser of the painting. It's obscure. But Parameswaran manages to make it believable and relatable.
The one star is deducted only because the obscurity could go too far at times, and there was a disconnect of the last three or four stories that wasn't present at the beginning. It felt as though these last few stories weren't meant for this book. The themes are certainly similar, and there's no doubt they follow the same vein, but I guess it felt as though the stories, and their obscurity, were forced. Not a terrible critique, but it diminished the experience somewhat.
These stories will not give you a warm and fuzzy feeling. But they are thought-provoking, creative and well-written. Worth every minute I spent reading them.
noonis's review
4.0
All the stories in this collection are great but the last one is outstanding. I'd read an entire novel based on that world.
heidiimmes's review against another edition
1.0
I just didn't get it. It was creepy and I didn't find it funny at all. The only story that did anything for me was the one about the Agent working for The Agency, and that probably went as well as it did because everything was [redacted] and lent itself to imagining.
bcurchy's review against another edition
I am in the middle of this book and I can tell you that it is unsettling and a very different type of writing than what I have become accustomed to. And that is probably why I am enjoying it so much. Who would have thought to write a love story from a tiger's perspective or from a portrait's perspective? I cannot wait to finish this tomorrow!
Wow! What a collection of various types of short stories. I am impressed with the author's ability to write in various voices and styles from british country folk to professional secret agent to an actual tiger narratives, very talented.
Wow! What a collection of various types of short stories. I am impressed with the author's ability to write in various voices and styles from british country folk to professional secret agent to an actual tiger narratives, very talented.
sbhatnag's review against another edition
2.0
The stories were unique and some kept my interest, but I wasn't in love. Also, for the first time ever, ended up skipping an entire story in a collection - Elephants in Captivity. Not sure what I was meant to do with that piece, but I didn't have the patience to figure it out.
madelyn91's review against another edition
3.0
Bizarre and haunting collection of short stories. I enjoy what I read but I feel it wasn’t a memorable read. I loved The Infamous Bengal Ming story, it was sad and heartbreaking. It made me really think how the animals in captivity see the world around them. It also reminded me of an Aimee Bender short story.
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys speculative fiction that is thought-provoking and a little nonsensical. Rajesh Parameswaran is now on my radar.
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys speculative fiction that is thought-provoking and a little nonsensical. Rajesh Parameswaran is now on my radar.