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chelsea_not_chels's review
2.0
More reviews available at my blog, Beauty and the Bookworm.
This is an odd book. Collections of short stories tend to be odd in some sort of way, but this one is particularly odd, partly because of the nature of the stories and party because of the unevenness of the collection. Some of the stories have a hint of the possible paranormal about them; in one, a woman watches her furniture walk away on its own. Some of them seem to lack any real point or driving motive, such as the one that's basically just an accounting of how a mother and daughter bought and sold things. Some are first person, some are third. Some have narrators that may or may not be unreliable, leaving me with the vague, nagging sense that all the narrators might be unreliable and Galchen was just having a giggle at my expense. It's not that great of a feeling. There's an overall feeling in these stories that something is just off, for a reason that you can't quite put your finger on, and some of the title/story combinations made me feel like I was missing something massive, though even after a good deal of reflection I can't figure out what that missing aspect was. The sense of disconnection that the main characters of the stories feel with everyone around them is a recurring theme, but it also makes them somewhat alien to me, the reader. In the end, I wasn't taken in to a single one of these stories, but was left on the outside looking in, and that's not the best place for a reader to be.
2 stars out of 5.
This is an odd book. Collections of short stories tend to be odd in some sort of way, but this one is particularly odd, partly because of the nature of the stories and party because of the unevenness of the collection. Some of the stories have a hint of the possible paranormal about them; in one, a woman watches her furniture walk away on its own. Some of them seem to lack any real point or driving motive, such as the one that's basically just an accounting of how a mother and daughter bought and sold things. Some are first person, some are third. Some have narrators that may or may not be unreliable, leaving me with the vague, nagging sense that all the narrators might be unreliable and Galchen was just having a giggle at my expense. It's not that great of a feeling. There's an overall feeling in these stories that something is just off, for a reason that you can't quite put your finger on, and some of the title/story combinations made me feel like I was missing something massive, though even after a good deal of reflection I can't figure out what that missing aspect was. The sense of disconnection that the main characters of the stories feel with everyone around them is a recurring theme, but it also makes them somewhat alien to me, the reader. In the end, I wasn't taken in to a single one of these stories, but was left on the outside looking in, and that's not the best place for a reader to be.
2 stars out of 5.
laedyred's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I'm not usually a big fan of short stories, but this book is definitely an exception. Each story is so...weird, yet somehow also incredibly relatable. The characters are people I see around me and in myself. I read the whole book in a day, and thoroughly enjoyed the experimental writing style.
jwmcoaching's review
3.0
Not your conventional short stories, American Innovations is full of tales that include magical realism, everyday life, and the outright absurd. Galchen is an incredible writer and knows how to write a sentence like nobody's business. Her plots are a little lacking at times, but frequently, the plot doesn't really seem to be the point. Standouts here include "The Lost Order", "Wild Berry Blue", "Dean of the Arts" and "Once an Empire". Her protagonists are always female and frequently seem lost and/or bewildered, but on the verge of something momentous at the same time. These stories are to be enjoyed one at a time and not rushed through, as they seem to contain unique worlds that are like our own, but slightly off kilter. Consequently, it takes a little time and adjustment to not only enter them, but exit them as well.
deannalmac's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
blairewithane's review
3.0
I liked parts of the stories in this book. There were some great descriptions and little pieces of lives, but left me feeling kind of unfulfilled. I don't mind the unfinished nature of the stories, but some of the endings were too odd. Lots of playing with concepts of time, which was interesting.
kell_xavi's review
2.0
I find it difficult to fathom the minds that make up Galchen's following - not because I dislike her writing, but because what I read most often begins somewhere and ends nowhere, and I wonder at who it is finds meanings and resolution in these stories. Galchen is fond, in these stories, of what read as arbitrary elements thrown in to show the character's way of seeing things, or to move the place the story is in forward. In part worth reading, but all but a few endings left me still with confusion. I have mostly left these stories out of the following ratings, but I'd say they'd still be worth a consuming if the reader can forgo completeness for absurdity and moments of odd knowledge and reflection. Despite my frustration, I still think I enjoy Galchen, and will likely attempt to read her future work.
The Region of Unlikeness - 5
*Extremely enjoyable and impressively thought/recorded story. Time travel features, as a phenomena of physics rather than a science fiction outside true scientific thought (this makes it extremely appealing, as the latter kind of writing is definitely not). Can be found on the New Yorker website ;)
American Innovations - 2.5
*I liked it, and having read "The Nose" by Gogol and an interview with the author to supplement the piece, see that Galchen means to draw attention to the way physicality an impact impressions of oneself, or be taken in stride; to me, though, it seems not to possess enough clarity or go deep enough to be satisfying
Wild Berry Blue - 3.5
*Crush obsession and its total oddity. Wonderful engagement with the topic
The Entire Northern Side - 2.5
*It's short and the (what seems like) arbitrariness partially fascinating
Dean of the Arts - 3
*Strange elements interesting and frequent enough to string it along above ground
The Region of Unlikeness - 5
*Extremely enjoyable and impressively thought/recorded story. Time travel features, as a phenomena of physics rather than a science fiction outside true scientific thought (this makes it extremely appealing, as the latter kind of writing is definitely not). Can be found on the New Yorker website ;)
American Innovations - 2.5
*I liked it, and having read "The Nose" by Gogol and an interview with the author to supplement the piece, see that Galchen means to draw attention to the way physicality an impact impressions of oneself, or be taken in stride; to me, though, it seems not to possess enough clarity or go deep enough to be satisfying
Wild Berry Blue - 3.5
*Crush obsession and its total oddity. Wonderful engagement with the topic
The Entire Northern Side - 2.5
*It's short and the (what seems like) arbitrariness partially fascinating
Dean of the Arts - 3
*Strange elements interesting and frequent enough to string it along above ground
jonathanwlodarski's review
3.0
I wasn't really sure what to do with some of these stories. The surreal ones are great: "The Lost Order" and "Once an Empire" are awesome, and "The Region of Unlikeness" is pretty good.
But that's three of ten stories--the rest are either just okay or downright dull. I skipped through a few of them because they weren't interesting enough to engage me. Experimentation is happening, which I like, but it didn't compel me to stay focused.
3/5
But that's three of ten stories--the rest are either just okay or downright dull. I skipped through a few of them because they weren't interesting enough to engage me. Experimentation is happening, which I like, but it didn't compel me to stay focused.
3/5
sungyena's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
dougm's review
Good, but I read close to half the stories before in the new yorker so a bit repetitive.