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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
I really love this book. Such interesting, convoluted stories. I took my time reading this so I could soak in each sentence. Sometimes with short stories, you're left wanting more, but each of these was unbelievably satisfying in completely different ways - even if you wanted more info, each conclusion felt good. An awesome read!
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I really enjoyed this book of short stories. 4.5 stars. Highly atmospheric and creepy. There's often a moment toward the end where it seems the story is going to capsize into magical realism, but they mostly hang around the edges of reality. Characters' voices are highly developed despite in some cases very limited page counts, and these stories have wonderful structure.
There's a simmering menace in the background in the form of alienation, misogyny, violence, and economic decay. However, van den Berg keeps it subtle enough that there is no tendency toward the didactic. In fact, I think I see growth here in terms of making things a little less subtle; the other book I've read by her, [i]Third Hotel[/i], makes its themes too subtle and remote.
There are some common elements in these eleven stories: alienated/isolated young women, strained sibling relationships, grief upon losing a family member, substance abuse...but despite the repetition, I didn't get bored of any of them. I'll definitely be reading van den Berg's other work.
I really enjoyed this book of short stories. 4.5 stars. Highly atmospheric and creepy. There's often a moment toward the end where it seems the story is going to capsize into magical realism, but they mostly hang around the edges of reality. Characters' voices are highly developed despite in some cases very limited page counts, and these stories have wonderful structure.
There's a simmering menace in the background in the form of alienation, misogyny, violence, and economic decay. However, van den Berg keeps it subtle enough that there is no tendency toward the didactic. In fact, I think I see growth here in terms of making things a little less subtle; the other book I've read by her, [i]Third Hotel[/i], makes its themes too subtle and remote.
There are some common elements in these eleven stories: alienated/isolated young women, strained sibling relationships, grief upon losing a family member, substance abuse...but despite the repetition, I didn't get bored of any of them. I'll definitely be reading van den Berg's other work.
A true 3.8⭐️s, the author does a great job of setting an unsettling mood and I love an insane woman forever and ever and ever. The short stories were fun and I loved getting through them quickly. Overall I wish I would’ve gained a bit more from the stories but I defs highlighted some wonderfully written parts and I liked the storytelling overall.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Auribus teneo lupum and all that.
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review consideration. All of the opinions presented below are my own. Quotes have been taken from the advanced copy and are subject to change upon publication.
It may be the first work I've read by Laura van den Berg, but this collection absolutely gutted me. Almost every story was devastating to some extent, often in ways I wasn't expecting. The stories all feel properly connected and seem like they are occurring in the same universe, happening to similar people. van den Berg allows the women she writes to be flawed human beings and doesn't pull any punches. They do and think bad things, but they're always sympathetic -- and fascinating to read about. There's a lot of commentary on grief, trauma, and gender, and I urge readers to tread lightly and to look up content warnings if necessary. I've included an incomplete list below. On the whole, I was incredibly impressed by this collection and will be looking to read more of van den Berg's work.
-Last Night, 3.5 stars
-Slumberland, 5 stars
-Hill of Hell, 4 stars
-Cult of Mary, 2 stars
-Lizards, 4 stars
-The Pitch, 4 stars
-Volcano House, 3.5 stars
-Friends, 4 stars
-Karolina, 4 stars
-Your Second Wife, 4 stars
-I Hold a Wolf by the Ears, 3.5 stars
average: 3.77 stars, rounded up to 4
content warnings: sexual assault; loss of a loved one; domestic abuse; mass shootings; miscarriages; kidnapping; attempted suicide.
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The stories after the first couple were amazing
A spectacular accomplishment -- in these stories, dark subversion pairs itself with dry humor. Clear-eyed and terse, these tales are of women on the edge, on the verge, blind-folded in deep pits (sometimes of their own making; sometimes not) reaching for the crumbling dirt walls with nimble, capable fingers.
